i 



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REPORT 

oi a Survey of me 
Scnool System of 
Butte, Montana 



Authorized by a 
Resolution or the 
Board of Sckool 
Trustees May 5, 

19 14 




SUBMITTED TO THE BOARD OF 
SCHOOL TRUSTEES. JUNE 2. 1914 



=*• 



REPORT of a SURVEY 

of the SCHOOL SYSTEM 
of BUTTE, MONTANA 




ILjcz:'^ 



/ /^^ URVEY COMMISSION 



George Drayton Strayer, Professor of Educational Administration, 
Teachers College, Columbia University, New York. Director of 
the Survey. 

Frank P. Bachman, Educational Expert to the Board of Estimate 
and Apportionment, New York City. 

Ellwood P. Cubberley, Professor of Education, Leland Stanford Junior 
University, California. 

William T. Bawden, Managing Editor of Vocational Education. 

F. J. Kelly, Director of the Training School, State Normal College, 
Emporia, Kansas. 



Submitted to tlie Board of ScKool Trustees. June 2. 1914 



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V 

j THE INITIATION AND AUTHORIZATION 
{ OF THE SURVEY 

In an extended communication to the Board of Trustees 
under date of April 27, 1914, Superintendent of Schools Geo. F. 
Downer proposed that the Board of Trustees authorize an expert 
survey of the schools of District No. i. This recommendation 
was considered by the Committee on Teachers and School Man- 
agement, which, on the same date, offered for the consideration 
of the Board, a body of resolutions on various subjects, closing 
with the following paragraph : 

(6) That in order to create the most favorable conditions 
possible for increasing the efficiency of the public schools of this 
district, the Board immediately investigate the plausiblity -of 
liaving made here such an expert examination of the schools of 
the District as has been suggested by the superintendent in the 
attached letter. Such surveys have recently been made in Port- 
land, Oregon, and Boise, Idaho, and if such a survey is made of 
the Butte schools, we hereby resolve to publish the results in full 
and to abide by the recommendations of the experts, wherever 
possible. 

The resolutions were signed by C. R. Hopkins, P. S. Har- 
rington and M. J.^Rozsa, members of the Teachers and School 
Management Committee, and were passed, unanimously, by the 
Board, all trustees being present. 

At its next meeting the following resolution was introduced 
b}^ the Laws, Rules and Regulations Committee : 

Resolved, that a survey be made of the schools of School 
District No. One, by Dr. George B. Strayer of Teachers' College, 
Columbia University, New York City ; Dr. Ellwood Cubberley, 
head of the Department of Education. Leland Stanford Univer- 
sity, and Dr. Frank P. Bachman of New York City and two as- 
sistants. Such survey to commence as soon as practicable, and 
there is hereby appropriated and set aside from the General Fund 
of the said School District the sum of Four Thousand ($4,000) 
Dollars to pay the expense of said survey and for the cost of a 
report from the said persons to the Board of Education as to the 
conditions of the said schools. 

C. R. HOPKINS, 
LOWNDES MAURY. 

On roll call Trustees E. D. Elderkin, P. S. Harrington, C. R. 
Hopkins, E. F. Maginn, H. L. Maury and M. J. Rozsa voted Aye. 
Trustee C. R. Wallace voted No. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Introduction to The Report. 

The invitation to make the survey — The plan of 
work — Co-operation invited — ^Discussion encouraged — 
The actual conduct of the survey. 

THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROBLEM. 

CHAPTER I.— THE CLASSIFICATION AND PROGRESS 

OF PUPILS - 9 

Population — Character of population — Holding 
power of the schools — Progress of children in school — 
Children over-age, normal age and under-age — Degree 
of retardation — Special classes — Elementary summer 
school — Promotion and non-promotion — Reducing non- 
promotions — Failure by studies — Size of classes in ele- 
mentary schools — Sizes of sections in high school — 
Failure by studies in high school- — Summary. 

CHAPTEJR. II.— THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION 37 

General principles — The survey of the quality of 
teaching in Butte — Standards for judging the qualit)^ of 
instruction — The purposes of education — The drill les- 
son — Lessons' involving thinking — Lessons for appre- 
ciation—Teaching children to study — ^Social phases of 
school work — Discipline and management — The quality 
of the teaching done in Butte — Greater efficiency possi- 
ble — Good work seen — Effect of the examination sys- 
tem — More appreciative teaching needed — Summary. 

CHAPTER III.— THE COURSES OF STUDY 47 

New conceptions of education — The present courses 
of study — Fundamental needs — Lack of kindergartens — 
The work in arithmetic — Language work — Reading and 
literature — Home reading books — History and civil 
government — Geography — Nature study and science in- 
struction — ^Spelling — Writing — Music — Drawing — Play 
and physical training — The manual and household arts — ■ 
The intermediate school — Possible courses for the in- 
termediate school — The high school courses of study. 

CHAPTER IV.— THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PUPILS. .-. 69 

Methods of measuring school achievements — The 
spelling tests — Word lists used^The scoring of the 
papers — Results — Composition test — Scoring — Typical 
compositions — Results — Penmanship tests — Scoring and 
Results — Arithmetic tests — Lists of examples used — 
Scoring and results — Summary. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



CHy\PTER v.— THE SUPERVISION OF INSTRUCTION.... 97 
The work of the supervisory corps — Demonstration 
of methods of teaching- — The criticism of instruction — 
Co-operation of teachers in developing school policies — 
Measurement of the achievement of pupils — Standard 
tests of instruction — Teacher and supervisor — The 
primary supervisor — The superintendent as a super- 
visor — His relation to the board of school trustees — The 
further training of principals. 

CHAPTER VI.— ADAPTATION OF SCHOOLS TO COM- 
MUNITY NEEDS - 102 

New types of instruction — Kindergartens — Special 
classes for special groups — Night schools — ^Classes in 
English for foreigners — The wider use of the school 
plant — Facilities for play— Physical welfare of children 
— Probable conditions — Types of health supervision — 
The school nurse — The teacher and health supervision — 
Instruction in hygiene and play supervision. 



PART n. 

THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROBLEM. 

CHAPTER VII.— ADMINISTRATION OF THE SCHOOLS.... 110 
State origin of schools — State control of schools — 
School districts of the first class — Large powers of the 
state — Limitations of state control for city school sys- 
tems — The problem of the board of school trustees — 
Proper official relations — The board's proper functions 
Fundamental administrative principles. 

CHAPTER VIII.— SELECTION. TRAINING, TENURE AND 

SALARIES OF TEACHERS : 117 

The preparation for teaching of the present corps — 
Recommendations for further professional training of 
teachers and principals — A four-week summer school 
for teachers in Butte — ^Teachers paid a month's salary 
for attendance — Probable cost of a summer school — 
The salaries of teachers — Comparative salary schedules 
in western cities — Minimum and maximum salaries rec- 
ommended — Increases dependent upon further profes- 
sional tiaining — A probationary period for inexperi- 
enced teachers — Special salaries for training teachers 
and teachers of classes for backward children — The 
salaries of high school teachers — General principles gov- 
erning salary schedules. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



CHAPTER IX.— SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT 124 
Recent surveys — School sites desirable and unde- 
sirable — 'Types of buildings found — Square construc- 
tion — Defects in existing- buildings — Typical class rooms 
— Proper type of class room — Proper type of building — 
Educational needs to be provided for — 'Possible building 
reorganization — Larger units of construction — An inter- 
mediate school — New high school — Janitor service. 

CHAPTER X.— CENSUS, RECORDS AND REPORTS 135 

The present school census — Improving and amend- 
ing the school census — Information to collect — Time to 
take the census — Card census file — Keeping the census 
file up-to-date — Educational use of the census — En- 
forcing the compulsory education law — Present effect- 
iveness of the attendance service — School records 
needed — The teachers register or blotter — The teachers 
register — Report of principal to attendance officers and 
to superintendent — Report of attendance officers to 
superintendent — Necessary co-operation — Simplifying 
school records — Summary. 

CHAPTER XL— COSTS AND FINANCIAL RECORDS 143 

Attempts to estimate costs — Table of comparative 
costs — Need of a better system of accounting — What an 
adequate system of accounting would reveal — Suggested 
forms for school accounting. 

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOM- 
MENDATIONS. 
Appendix. 

Blank forms used in gathering data: i. Size of 
classes — 2. Enrollment promotion and failures by stud- 
ies — 3. Education and experience of teachers — 4. Ages 
of children in the different classes. 



TABLE. OF CONTENTS 



LIST OF TABLES 

Page 

Table 1 — Composition of the population of Butte 9 

2 — Percentage of children in Butte and other cities 11 

" 3 — Public school enrollment and census compared 13 

" 4 — Children dropped from the elementary schools 14 

5 — Age-distribution of the children in the elementary 

schools IS 

" 6 — Age-grade of elementary school pupils 18 

" 7 — Under-age, normal, and over-age pupils 19 

" 8 — Degree of overageness in the schools 22 

" 9 — Age of entrance to high school 24 

" 10 — Promotion and non-promotion 27 

" 11 — Failures by studies. 31 

" 12 — Number and size of recitation sections 33 

" 13- — Failures in high school, by subjects 35 

14 — Standings of school grades in spelling 71 

" IS — Distributions of composition scores 74 

" 16 — Distributions of penmanship scores. 80 

" 17 — Distributions of results in addition and subtraction 87 

" 18 — Distributions of results in multiplication and division, 87-88 

" 19 — Distributions of scores in reasoning test 88 

" 20 — Comparison of Butte with other cities in arithmetic 91 

" 21 — Education and training of teachers 117 

" 22 — Comparative salary schedules in western cities 120 

" 23^ — Attendance in two typical elementary schools 138 

" 24 — Comparative costs of education... 144 



LIST OF GRAPHS AND ILLUSTRATIONS 

Figure 1 — Composition of the population of Butte.... 10 

2 — Age distribution of the total population 11 

" 3 — Pupils under-age, normal, and over-age 21 

" 4 — Over-age pupils behind their grades 23 

" 5 — Percentage of non-promotion 28 

" 6 — Results of spelling tests 72 

" 7 — Results of composition tests 75 

" 8 — Results of penmanship tests 82 

" 9 — Results of multiplication tests .-.-. PO 

" 10 — Butte compared with other cities in addition and sub- 
traction 92 

" 11 — Butte compared with other cities in multiplication and 

division 93 

" 12 — Results of arithmetic tests using problems involving 

reasoning 95 

" 13 — Proposed organization of the public school system of 

Butte 114 

" 14 — A typical school building in Butte 124 

" 15 — A typical class-room in Butte 126 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Page 
Figure 16 — Proper arrangement of a ciass-room 127 

17 — A well-lighted school building 128 

18 — Basement plan of a desirable type of school building 129 

19 — First-floor plan of a desirable tj'pe of school building.... 130 

20 — Second-floor plan of a desirable type of school building, 131 



LIST OF RECOMMENDED FORMS 



Form 1 — School census book.... Opposite 135 



2 — School census card ; 

3 — Census-file report , 

4 — Attendance and scholarship card 

5 — Report on absence 

6 — Principal's monthly report on absent pupils. 
7 — Monthly report of attendance officer 



136 
137 
139 
140 
140 
140 



8 — Standard financial report Last Inserted Fori 



REPORT OF THE 
SURVEY STAFF 




INTRODUCTION. 

The survey of the Butte pubhc school system was undertaken 
upon the invitation of the Board of School Trustees and the 
Superintendent of Schools. In extending their invitation to the 
director of the survey, the Board agreed that he should choose 
his associates from among those whom he considered best quali- 
fied for the work in hand, and assured him that the report would 
be published as written, without amendment or editorial change. 
The time allowed for the work was four weeks, and it was agreed 
that the cost to the Board of School Trustees for the salaries and 
expenses of the survey commission should not exceed four thou- 
sand dollars. 

At their first conference concerning the work to be done, 
the members of the commission agreed that it was the purpose 
of the survey to acquaint the Board of School Trustees and the 
citizens of Butte with the conditions as they exist in the public 
school system, with respect to the school plant and its equipment, 
the methods of administration and supervision of the schools, the 
instruction and courses of study, the training, tenure and present 
efficiency of the teaching corps, and the classification, progress 
and achievements of children in the school system, together with 
such recommendations as might seem to them to be justified in the 
light of the facts which they might be able to collect, or observa- 
tions which they might make. The members of the commission 
agreed that they would seek to place clearly before those who 
might read their report the achievements of the school system, 
or, in other words, its present strength, the needs of the school 
system as determined by whatever inadequacy might be found to 
exist, and the policies which, in their judgment, should furnish 
a program for future development. 

In the actual conduct of the survey, emphasis has been placed 
throughout upon the possible service which should be rendered 
by the school system to all members of the community. Since 
the school system, as at present organized, deals almost exclu- 
sively with the education of children between the ages of six and 
twenty years of age, the greater part of this report will be found 
to be devoted to a consideration of the education now offered to 
these children, together with such recommendations as seem, to 
the members of the commission, to promise improvement in the 
conditins under which this education is offered, or in the results 
which may be secured. The report has not neglected, however, to 
consider the problem of the education of children under six years 
of age, and the possible wider use of the school plant for the 
education of those who are beyond compulsory school age and 
not now in attendance in the school system. 

The general plan for the work of the survey commission 
had been thoroughly discussed and outlined by the time its mem- 
bers reached Butte. As soon as possible after reaching the citv, 
conferences were held with the superintendent of schools, with 



INTRODUCTION TO REPORT 



the board of school trustees, and aU of the teachers of the school 
system. The members of the commission profited largely from 
these meetings. They have felt throughout their work that their 
understanding of the local school situation depended in large 
measure upon the free and frank discussion which they were 
able to enjoy with those interested in the welfare of the school 
system. In the conference with teachers, the position of the 
survey commisson with respect to individual members of the 
teaching corps was made clear. Some of the teachers had felt 
before that meeting that the survey was intended to report upon 
the qualifications of individual teachers, in order that the board 
of school trustees might be informed, and might, upon recom- 
mendation of the commission, either re-hire or dismiss individual 
teachers from the school system. In this report recommendations 
are made with respect to the further training of teachers, and the 
qualifications for those who may later enter the school system, 
but the commission has been careful not to express any opinion 
concerning any individual teacher or other employee of the board 
of school trustees. This position seems to them to be- funda- 
mental in all survey work done by specialists, called in from out- 
side the regular administrative or supervisory staff. 

The commission endeavored from the first to make it clear 
that they would be willing to discuss the needs of the school 
system with any representative body in the city who might care 
to invite them to meet for a discussion of these problems. During 
the course of the survey, they accepted invitations to attend meet- 
ings of the Silver Bow Trades and Labor Council, of the su[-er- 
visors and principals of the public school system, of the teachers' 
union, of the city parents' teachers' association, of the Woman's 
Club, and of the Chamber of Commerce. Upon the suggestion 
of some of the teachers who were interested in the tests given 
to children, a meeting of the whole teaching corps was held in 
order to acquaint teachers with the nature of the tests given, 
and to enable them to understand the methods used in scoring 
results. Another meeting of the teaching corps by grade groups 
v^as held for the discussion of problems peculiar to the different 
groups of teachers. 

As has already been suggested, the purpose of the survey 
had to do mainly with suggesting possibilities for improving the 
opportunities of the children in the public schools of Butte. To 
accomplish this end, all of the members of the commission spent 
the first week during which they were at work in Butte upon the 
survey, in visiting the class rooms. All of the schools in the city, 
except the rural schools, were visited, and every teacher's work 
was observed for a whole recitation or for such part of a recita- 
tion as was necessary to make clear to the observer the method of 
instruction employed by the teacher, and the results she was 
securing from the pupils. In connection with these visits, short 
conferences were held with teachers, and longer conferences, last- 
ing from one to three hours, were held with the principal of each 



INTRODUCTION TO REPORT 



school. During the whole time devoted to the'survey, each mem- 
ber of the commission visited at least seven schools, while one 
member of the commission visited twelve. 

After the careful observation of the quality of teaching had 
been completed, a systematic attempt was made to discover the 
quality of work done by pupils by giving to as many children as 
possible, tests which had been used in other school systems. Speci- 
mens of hand writing were collected from all of the children. 
Tests in spelling, arithmetic and English composition were given 
in at least ten schools, and in as many grades as time permitted. 

Such data as were available concerning the work of the 
school system, in the form of courses of study, text-books used, 
rules and regulations, and records to be found in the oflices of 
the superintendent of schools and the school clerk, were carefully 
studied. The courses of study were made the subject of several 
conferences, by all of the members of the commission. The forms 
in the superintendent's office, upon which were recorded the 
qualifications of teachers and their efficiency as reported by the 
principals of schools, were carefully read. 

In order to supplement data available in the superintendent's 
office, and in order to have a basis in fact for the judgments 
which the members of the commission felt called upon to render, 
special blanks were prepared and data were secured with reference 
to the training, experience, tenure, and salaries of teacher, the 
number of children per teacher in the school system, the ages of 
children in each grade of each school, the number of days of 
attendance for all of the children in two schools, the rate of 
promotion and non-promotion, together with the subjects in 
which pupils failed, by grades. 

As a result of a month's work, along the lines indicated 
above, the survey commission herewith present to the board of 
school trustees their report on conditions and needs, together with 
a constructive program for the future development of the school 
system of Butte. They cannot, of course, hope that all of their 
recommendations will be at once put into effect. Some of the 
recommendations clearly look to the future. It is, however, en- 
tirely possible for the board of trustees, with the support of the 
people of this school district, to carry all of the recommendations 
into effect within the next four or five years. Should this be 
done the commission feel that a very great improvement in the 
school system of Butte would result, — -an improvement which 
would do much to advance the best interests of the citizenship 
of the city. 

In presenting this report to the board of school trustees and 
to the citizens of Butte, the members of the commission wish to 
express their appreciation of the uniform courtesy and kindness 
which has been extended to them by the members of the board of 
school trustees, the superintendent of schools, the supervisorv 
corps, and the teaching staff, and by those citizens of Butte with 
whom it has been their good fortune to come in contact. 



PART I. 



THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROBLEM. 



CLASSIFICATION AND PROGRESS OF PUPILS. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE CLASSIFICATION AND PROGRESS OF PUPILS. 

Population of Butte and School Distict No. i. — The popula- 
tion of the City of Butte, as given in the census of 1910, was 
39,165. School District No. i, comprising- a larger area than the 
city, has a population estimated at from 70,000 to 75,000. While 
there are no available data on the character of the population of 
District No. i, this probably differs little in character from the 
population of the city. 

Character of the Population. — The population of the City of 
Butte is characterized by the large percentage of native born with 
one or both parents foreign born, by the large percentage of for- 
eign born, by the small percentage of school children in proportion 
to the population, by the large percentage of active adult popula- 
tion between 25 and 40, and by the small percentage of mature 
citizens 65 years of age and older. 

Table i shows the composition of the population of certain 
western cities, chosen for comparison with Butte : 

TABLE I. 
Composition of Populatiok. 







Percent of the whole wlio are 






,_^ 












-u 








CITY 


^ 

1 1 


'rf 


e Bor 
h one 
h par 

erg-n 


5) s 


s 




a Q 




.^■||S 

y, 





it. 

y. 



Butte, Montana | 39,1 

San Diego, Cal ! 39, 

Berkeley, Cal ! 40, 

Davenport, Iowa | 43, 

Topeka, Kan | 43, 

Lincoln, Neb | 43. 

Pueblo, Colo 1 44, 

Sacramento, Cal I 44,' 

Sioux City, Iowa '.. ...i 47, 

Tacoma, Wash | 83, 

Spokane, Wash' | 104, 




The particular character of 
clearer by the following figure : 



the population is made even 



10 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



COMPOSITION OF POPULATION 




'ANADIANS 



Composition of the Population of Butte. 

Seventy per cent of the population of Butte, it will be ob- 
served, IS of direct foreign descent or foreign born. An analysis 
of this foreign element shows, however, that it is, on the whole, 
of the very highest type, coming primarily from northern and 
western Europe. Nevertheless, the presence in the city of so 
many of foreign descent and birth makes the work of the schools 
especially difficult, and makes necessary certain adjustments in 
the school system to meet the particular educational needs of this 
portion of the population. The needed re-adjustments in courses 
of study, and needed provisions for special kinds of classes and 
schools, will be pointed out in the subsequent chapters of this 
report. 

While the number of children of school age in Butte com- 
pares favorably with other western cities, the number is mate- 
rially smaller than in eastern cities of similar size. Table II com- 
pares Butte with ten selected western and ten selected eastern 
cities, in the matter of children under 15 years of age: 



CLASSIFICATION AND PROGRESS OF PUPILS. 



II 



TABLE II. 
Percentage of Children to Population. 



City. 



Total 

Population, 

1910 



1. Western Cities. 

"^'Spokane, Wash 

*San Diego, Cal 

^Berkeley, Cal 

Butte, Montana, 

Tacoma, Wash 

Lincoln, Neb 

*Topeka, Kan 

Pueblo, Colo 

*Des Moines, Iowa 

*Davenport, Iowa 

*Salt Lake City, Utah.. 

2. Eastern Cities. 



104,402 
39,578 
40,434 
39,165 

83-743 
43,973 
43,684 

44,395 
86,368 
43,028 

92,777 



Percent of Children 



5-14 



13.0 

134 

14.7 

15.1 

15-2 
15-3 

15-5 
16.4 
16.6 
16.7 
18.5 



0-15 

23.2 
20.0 
22.8 

23.9 

23.6 

2C 2 

23-9 

26.2 

25-6 
29.6 



East Orange, N. J.... 

Butte,Montana, 

'"Springfield, Mass.... 
*Newton, Mass 

Scranton, Pa 

Fall River, Mass 

*New Rochelle. N. J. 
*Yonkers, N. Y .^.. 

Hoboken, N. J 

*^It. Vernon, N. Y .... 
*Bayonne, N. J 



34.371 
39,165 

88,926 

39,806 

129,867 

119..295 
28,867 

79,803 
70,324 
30,919 

55..S45 



15.1 

15-9 
16.7 
18.1 
18.2 
18.9 
18.9 
19.1 
21.6 
21.7 



23.1 
23.9 

25-3 
254 
32.0 

32.3 
29.7 
29.9 
29.2 
31.6 
33-6 



*A11 of these cities spend more for schools, per capita of the 
total population, than does Butte. See Table Chapter XI. 

Figure 2 compares the age distribution of the population of 
Butte with the as'e distribution of the L'nited States as a whole. 



Age Distribution of Total Population 



\1.A\ 

20.1 



Un!teo States 



9.9% 

EM 



Wm 15 TO 24 



Ages 
Under S Yrs 
'^^'Z\ 3 TO 14. 



Butte 



IP W M^ 45 TO, 64 



30 



20 



4.0 ^ 65 AND Over ^ 1.6 
iO Percent 



8.3% 

15 



13.0 



17.8 



10 



20 



30 



40 



Fig. 2. Age Distribution of Tot.\l Population. 



12 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT. ' 

The above table shows that the predominate age in Butte is 
between 25 and 44. Its adult population is, therefore, at the age 
of greatest strength and aggressiveness. It will, however, be 
noted on the other hand that but 15.1 per cent of the population is 
between 5 and 14 years of age, as compared to 17.4 per cent, for 
the country as a whole. This relatively small proportion of chil- 
dren of school age, when compared with eastern cities and when 
compared with the country as a whole, should enable Butte to 
provide much better educational advantages for its children than 
can be provided by the average city, particularly of the East. 

The city of Butte, or School District No. i, is, therefore, 
called upon to develop a system of schools adapted to the needs 
of a population predominately foreign, and engaged in skilled 
and manual occupations. By reason, hoAvever, of the active and 
aggressive character of its adult population, and the relatively 
small number of children of school age, the city of Butte should 
be able, without great financial burden, to provide the very best 
educational opportunities for the children of the city, and for all 
adults desirous of continuing their education. 

School Population of District No. i. 
School Census, 1913. 

The school census of 1913 for District No. i gave the num- 
ber of children and youth as follows : 

Under 6 years of age. 6,155 

Between 6 and 8 years 2,019 

Between 8 and 14 years 5'330 

Between 14 and 16 years 1,418 

Between 16 and 21 years 3.082 

Total (all children under 21 years) 18,004 

While there are. according to the school census of 1913, 
18,004 children and adults under 21 years of age in the district, 
there is no reason to expect that this entire number will be found 
in school. The legal age of entrance to the public schools is 6 ; 
the compulsory education law, however, is operative only after 
children become 8 years of age, and they cannot be held in school 
after becoming 16 years of age. There are, however, reasons to 
expect that practically all children between 6 and 14 will be in 
school, also a large majority of those between 14 and 16, and a 
considerable part of those between 16 and 21. 

The enrollment in the Butte public schools in the first 
semester of the school year, 1913-1914, was as follows : 



CLASSIFICATION AND PROGRESS OF PUPILS. 

TABLE 3. 
Public School Enrollment, Versus School Census. 



'Ages 


Public 
Schools* 


School 
Census 


Percent 

in Public 

Schools 


Between 6 and 8 

Between 8 and 14 

Between 14 and 16..... 

Between 16 and 21 

Enrolled in High School 


1,619 

3.996 

643 

55 
727 


2,019 

5-330 
1,418 
3,082 


79.40 

75.00 

45.00 

1.80 


Total 


7,040 


11.849 


59.60 



^Exclusive of 22 under 6. 



Neither are the data on the enrollment in the public schools 
of Butte sufficiently complete (the age distribution of the enroll- 
ment in the high school being lacking), nor are the data of the 
school census sufficiently differentiated with respect to age to 
make possible a complete comparison between school enrollment 
and school census. Such a comparison should, however, be pos- 
sible, and should be made each year in order to determine to what 
extent the public schools are reaching all of the children of school 
age of the city, and at what point or points the public schools 
break down. The necessity of so modifying the school census, and 
of collecting the needed data on school enrollment in order that 
such comparisons can be made, are treated in Chapter X. 

Comparison, however, can be made with the data at hand 
between the enrollment and school census in the case of two age- 
groups ; that is, between the enrollment and census for children 
between 6 and 8, and between 8 and 14. It will be observed that 
of the 2,019 children reported in the census as between 6 and 8, 
1,619, or 79.40 per cent, were enrolled in the public schools, and 
that of the 5,330 children reported in the census between 8 and 14, 
3,996, or 75 per cent, were also enrolled in the public schools. 
The practical question, from this point of view, is, where were the 
remaining 20.6 per cent of children between 6 and 8 years of age, 
and the remaining 25 per cent between 8 and 14? To be sure, 
a large proportion of such children were doubtless enrolled in 
either parochial or private schools. There are, however, no avail- 
able facts at hand to show the number of such children so enrolled. 
All that is known is that the public schools of Butte are reaching 
from 75 to 79 per cent of the children of the city between. 6 and 
14, and a certain number of children of other ages. So long, 
therefore, as private and parochial schools are not required to 
report to the clerk of the board of school trustees, as is required 
by law (see Section 1104 of the General School Law of the State 
of Montana), and data are not collected by ages on the enrollment 
in the public elementary and the public high school, so long will it 
be impossible to determine whether or not all the schools of Butte 



14 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT. 



combined, piibHc, private, and parochial, are reaching all the 
children of school age of the community. 

The Holding Power of the Biitte Public Schools. — An efficient 
system of public schools not only attracts or reaches all the chil- 
dren of the community, but also holds them until either they are 
no longer subject to the compulsory education law, or until they 
have completed either the elementary school course of study, or 
the course of study of both the elementary and high school. 

While each separate school keeps fairly complete and accurate 
records of all pupils entering and of all pupils dropping out, these 
records have never been systematized and collected for the system 
as a whole to show to what extent and how long children are held 
in the schools. Effort has lately been put forth to this end, in the 
adoption of an "Admission, Discharge, and Promotion Card." 
This is an excellent movement, and is to be highly commended. 
If these records are carefully kept, and the data thereon tabulated, 
there will soon be at hand means of judging of the holding power 
of the Butte public schools. 

Despite the absence, until recently, of systematic records, we 
have collected data which show that considerable numbers of chil- 
dren drop from the public schools during the course of a term ; 
also data which tend to show that the holding power of the Butte 
public schools is reasonably good. Table 4 shows the number of 
children dropped from the elementary schools during the first 
semester of the school year, 1913-1914. 

TABLE 4. 
Children Dropped From Elementary Schools. 



YEAR 


c 
E 
1 

H 


Going- to Private 
or Parochial 
Schools 


V 


3 
1 « 

£ ° 

a 


■a 

& 
_ 

in 


Percent of 
Enrollment 
Dropped 


Eighth 

Seventh 

Sixth 

Fifth 


397 
547 
703 
782 

847 

921 

868 

1259 


6 

8 

9 

9 

13 

14 

II 

15 


10 

18 

35 
29 


29 

21 

25 
20 


45 
47 
69 
58 

79 
80 

74 
128 


1 1 -3 
8.6 
9.8 

7-4 

9-3 
10.6 

8.5 
10.2 


Fourth 

Third 

Second 

First 


54 12 
47 19 
50 13 

57 56 


Total ! 6324 1 85 


300 j 195 


580 


9.2 



Five hundred and eighty children were dropped from the 
elementary school, it will be noted, during the first semester of the 
school year 1913-1914, out of a total enrollment of 6,324; that is, 
almost one pupil out of each ten enrolled left before the end of 
the first semester. To be sure, the public schools are not to be 
held responsible for pupils leaving, by reason of parental pref- 



CLASSIFICATION AND PROQRESS OF PUPILS. 



15 



erence for private or parochial schools, or for pupils leaving 
when parents move from the city, or when pupils are continuously 
absent for lawful reasons. School authorities are, however, re- 
sponsible for seeing that when a child leaves for a parochial or 
private school that he actually enters such school ; responsible for 
seeing that when a child reports his parents are moving from the 
city that this is actually the case ; and responsible for seeing that 
all cases of continuous absence are lawful. It should, however, 
be said that teachers, principals, and attendance officers are giving 
much attention to such cases ; yet, as will be pointed out in con- 
nection with our discussion of the enforcement of the compulsory 
education law, there is considerable to be desired with respect to 
the method of reporting, investigating, and recording the results 
of investigating such cases, to the end that no child shall drop 
from school without lawful reasons. 

Notwithstanding children for various reasons drop from the 
public schools of Butte, the data presented in Table 5 indicate 
that the holding power of the schools is reasonably good : 

TABLE 5. 
Age Distribution of Children in Elementary Schools. 



AGE 



I Number 

I Enrolled 

1 of Each Age 



IPercent of Total 
I Enrollment 
I in Each Grade 



Under 6.. 

6 to 7 

7 to 8 

8 to 9 

9 to 10 

10 to 11- 

11 to 12- 

12 to 13- 

13 to 14- 

14 to IS- 
IS to 16- 

16 to 17- 

17 to 18- 

18 to 19- 



2,2 
912 

707 

702 
726 
642 

662 

671 
593 
415 
228 

44 



0.03 

14.40 

11.20 

II. 10 

11.50 

10.30 

10.50 

10.60 

9.40 

6.60 

3.60 

0.06 

0.0 1 

0.005 



Total 



6337 



99-305 



These several age-groups, at least from 6 to 7 up to 13 to 14, 
should be essentially equal, the younger age-groups, due to growth 
in population, being somewhat larger than the older. The pre- 
ponderating number of pupils reported between 6 to 7 is in all 
probability due to the fact that pupils, in considerable numbers, 
are actually entering school who, while giving their age as between 

6 and 7, are really under 6. Beginning with the group between 

7 to 8, it will be noted that there is but slight difference, from 
group to group, until we come to the group 13 to 14. On becom- 
ing 14 years of age, children who wish to do so, and who can 
qualify for the examination for an employment certificate, drop 



16 



•CHOOL SURVEY REPORT. 



from school, as do those who complete the course. These two 
factors account, therefore, at least in part, for the decreasing num- 
ber in the agcrgroups after 13 to 14. 

The uniformity in the number in each of the several age- 
groups up to the group 13 to 14 may thus be taken to indicate 
that the holding power of the public schools is reasonably good. 
But, as suggested above, just what their holding power is cannot 
be determined with exactness until there is a decided change in 
the reports of the schools concerning the enrollment and discharge 
of pupils. 

The Progress of Children in School. — The elementary school 
course of study is, in theory, eight years in length, and the high 
school course four years. A child entering the elementary school 
at six years of age should complete the elementary school in eight 
years, or by the time he is fourteen years old ; similarly, a child 
entering at 7 should be graduated at 15. Hence, if the age of a 
child and the grade he has completed or is beginning is known, it 
is possible to tell how far ahead or how far behind the course he 
is for his age. 

It is commonly agreed that the very latest normal age for 
completing the elementary school is up to 15. Children com- 
pleting the elementary course older than this are called overage, 
or behind their grade. In order, therefore, that children pro- 
gressing, regularly, through the grades may complete the ele- 
mentary school by the time they are 15, it is necessary for them 
to enter or begin the work of each of the several grades within 
the following age limits : 



Grade 



Normal Age 

Limit 
for Entering 



Normal Age 

Limit 

for Completing 



B 
A 
B 
A 
B 
A 
B 
A 



5 B 
5A 

6 B 

6 A 
7B 

7 A 

8 B 
8 A 



6 

7 
7/2 

8 

8>^ 
9 

9>^ 
10 

II 

ii>4 
12 

121/^ 
13/2 



up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 



7 

7/2 

8 

8>4 

9 

9/2 
10 

10^ 
II 

iij^ 
12 

12^^ 
13 

13/2 
14 
141^ 



7 
7/2 

8 

8K^ 

9 

9/2 
10 

io>4 
II 

11/3 
12 

1214 

13 

13^ 
14 



up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 
up to 



7/2 

8 

8^ 

9 

9>^ 
10 
10^ 
II 

12 

I2>4 

13 

13/2 

14 

I4>4 
15 



If, then, the ages of all the children enrolled in the public 
schools of Butte during the first semester of the school year, 
1913-1914, are taken as of September first, and the above-normal 



CLASSIPICATION AND PROGRESS OF PUPILS. 17 

age limits for entering each of the grades is taken as the basis 
of classification, the number of children in each grade under age, 
that is, ahead of their grade, the number of normal age, that is, 
up to grade, and the number over-age, that is, behind their grade, 
is easily determined. 

Amount of Over-Age. — Table 6 gives the number of chil- 
dren in each of the several grades of the public schools of Butte, 
from under 6 up to i8 1-2 to 19. In each grade, the numbers 
in the columns to the left of the heavy black-faced figures indicate 
the children ahead of their grade, the numbers set in heavy-faced 
black type indicate the children up to grade, and the numbers in 
the columns to the right of the heavy black-faced figures indicate 
the children behind their grade. 



18 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT. 





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CLASSIFICATION AND PROGRESS OF PUPILS. 



1^ 



Table 7 shows more clearly than Table 6 the number of 
children in each grade in the elementary schools of Butte under- 
age, normal-age, and over-age. 

TABLE 7. 

Number and Percent, of Children Under-Age, Normal-Age, 

AND Over-Age. 



GRADE 



— Under Age- 



-Normal Age 



— Over-Age 



So < 



I 


B 


I 


A 


2 


B 


2 


A 


3 


B 


3 


A 


4 


B 


4 


A 


.S 


B. 


.S 


A 


6 


B 


6 


A 


7 


B. 


7 


A. 


8 


B. 


8 


A. 



22 

30 
82 
29 

47 
28 

35 
27 
35 
21 
20 
21 
19 

13 
30 



2.4 

7-7 
16.3 

7-4 
8.4 
7.2 

7-9 
7.8 
7.9 
6.6 
5-2 
6.3 
5-8 
6.2 

14-3 
5-6 



699 
216 

235 
142 
204 
140 

152 
109 
127 

99 
105 

88 
106 

65 
68 
48 



78.3 

55-7 
46.3 
36.4 

36.7 
36.2 

34-2 

31-5 
28.6 
28.4 
27.4 
26.5 
32.3 
30.4 
32.4 
30.2 



177 
T42 
191 
219 

305 
219 

258 
210 
282 
226 
261 
223 
203 
136 
112 
102 



19.7 
36.6 

37-5 
56.2 

54-9 
56.6 
58.0 
60.7 
63.6 

65-3 
67.6 
67.2 
61.9 
63.6 

53-4 
64.1 



898 
388 
508 
390 
556 
387 
445 
346 
444 
346 
386 
332 
328 
214 
210 
159 



Total, grades 468 



7-4 



2603 



41. 1 



3266 



51- 



6337 



20 bCHOOL SURVEY REPORT. 

It is astonishing to find that, of the total number of different 
pupils in the elementary schools during the first semester of the 
current school year, only 468 were ahead of their grade, as com- 
pared to 3266 who were behind. In a word, taking the enrollment 
as a whole, out of each 100 children : — 

8 are ahead of their grade, 
41 are up to grade, and 
51 are behind their grade. 

Conditions are the worst in the 6 B grade, Avhere out of each 
100 children : — 

5 are ahead of their grade, 
Q.'j are up to grade, and 
68 are behind their grade. 

While conditions are the worst in the 6 B, even in all the 
other grades, with the exception of the i B, the per cent of over- 
age children is extraordinarily high, ranging from 36.6 per cent 
to 67.2 per cent. 

The conditions shown to exist in Tables 6 and 7 are shown 
even better in Figure 3, on the opposite page. 

Degree of Over-Age. — The seriousness of children becoming 
over-age depends on the grade they are in, and on how far they 
have fallen behind their grade. Table 8 shows, by grades, the 
number of children over-age a given number of years. 



CLASSIFICATION AND PROGRESS OF PUPILS. 



21 



Percentages OF Pupils Who Are 
Under Age, Of Normal Age, and Over Aee 

Grade Under Normal 



^ 



B P/zV/V/^ 



A^[ 



3i 



A ^ 



4. 



B ^: 



A ^ 



B ^ 



A ^ 



^ A s 



^ A^ 



B r^^^^^ 



A S 



Over 



Percent 



20 




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4-0 ■ 60 80 100 



Total, All Grades-. 
Under Age 7.4 

Of Normal Age 4-1.1 
Over Age 51.0 



FIG. 3. AGE DISTRIBUTION BY GRADES. 



22 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT. 



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CLASSIFICATION AND PROGRESS OF PUPILS. 



23 



Percentages of 3266 Over- 


Age Pupils 


Who Are 


Bemino Their 


Grades 




LESS THAN 1 YR 


1-2 


2-3 3-UP 




6 A. 8 


27.6 


ii.l 6.0 








W////////. 


$^ 




Percent • ZO • 40 


• 60 


80 • 100 



Fig. 4. Percentages of Pupils one or More Years Behind 

Their Grades. 

It will be observed that of the 3,266 children over-age 
1790 are less than i year behind their grade, 
891 are i and less than 2 years behind their grade, 
386 are 2 and less than 3 years behind their grade, 
199 are 3 years or more behind their grade. 
The significance of these children being behind their grade 
lies in the fact that if the 1,790 less than i year over-age continue 
in school and advance regularly they will be between 15 and 16 
on completing the elementary school; the 891, i year and less 
than 2 years over-age, will be between 16 and 17; the 386, 2 
years and less than^3 years over-age will be between 17 and 18; 
while the 199, 3 years or more over-age will be between 18 and 
19. As a matter of fact, in all probability the majority of these 
children will never complete the elementary school, but will drop 
out somewhere in the 6 B or higher grades. 

Significance of Over-Age. — The significance of over-age 
does not lie entirely in the fact that these children will probably 
leave the elementary school before completing the course, but lies 
more particularly in the fact that, while they do remain in school, 
the instruction received will not be adapted to their abilities. 
Hence such children, on the one hand, clo not receive the full 
benefits from the instruction given them ; on the other hand, be- 
ing thus improperly classified, they are a burden to the teacher, 
and prevent her from giving the proper attention to the other 
members of the class in which these over-age children are to be 
found. In a word, it is impossible for a teacher to do good work 
in a 4 B class, if along with the 4 B children of normal age, that 
is, childr'en from 9 to 10, there are children 13, 14, 15 and even 
18 years old. Hence, over-age is not only significant for the 
children who themselves are over-age, but over-age becomes sig- 
nificant for all members of the school. 

Moreover, over-age in the elementary school not only affects 
the work of the school, but affects the number of children going 
to high school and the number remaining to complete the high- 



24 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT. 

school course. Were data at hand it could be clearly shown that 
a smaller per cent of over-age children go to high school than of 
normal or under normal age. Table 9 gives the age of the chil- 
dren entering the high school during 1913-1914. 

TABLE 9. 
Age of Entrance to High School — School Year 1913-1914. 



11HI12 
to 1 to 
12 \i2y2 


12% 13 13HU4 14^15 |15^|16 16i/^|17 |17i/4|18 
to to to 1 to to to 1 to 1 to to 1 to 1 to 1 to 

13 i3y2 14 1141/2I15 1151/4116 \i6y2 17 1171/2II8 iisy 


1 i — 


1 1 3 1 19 1 36 1 44 41 1 43 1 26 1 17 1 6 I 6 1 1 



Total entering, 244. Total of normal age, 4l 

Total entering Under Age, 104. Total entering Over Age, 86 

If 15 to 153^ is taken as the normal age of entrance, it will 
be observed that of the 244 pupils entering the high school, 104 
entered under age, 41 were of normal age and 86 were over-age. 
There can be little question that a considerable portion of these 
86 pupils, particularly those that are i to 2 years over-age, will 
drop from the' high school before completing the course. Hence, 
were children graduated from the elementary school earlier, there 
is little doubt but that they would enter the high school in greater 
numbers, and that greater numbers would remain to complete the 
course. 

Cause of Over-Age. — Why are 50 per cent of the children in 
the elementary schools of Butte over-age? Over-age may be due 
to two main factors: (a) either too late entrance to school, or 

(b) to failure to progress regularly after entrance to school, or 

(c) to both late entrance and failure to progress regularly. 

The facts at hand indicate that over-age in the elementary 
schools of Butte is not due to late entrance to school. This is 
revealed by the fact in the i B grade only 19.7 per cent of the 
children are over age, whereas 78.3 per cent, despite the extra- 
ordinary high per cent of non-promotion (.see Table 10), are of 
normal age and 2.4 per cent are under age. (See Table 7). In- 
deed the distribution by ages, (see Table 6), indicates that chil- 
dren in large numbers are entering school even before they are 
6 years of age, which tends to reduce rather than to augment 
over-age. In a word, over-age in the elementary schools of Butte 
is due to failure to progress regularly after entrance, that is, to 
the conditions found in the schools themselves. 

Special Classes for Backzuard Children. — What, then, should 
be done in order that children in greater numbers may be able 
to progress regularly through the schools? Butte is not the only 
city in the country which has faced this problem. While the 
solution found differs from place to place, the principal means 
adopted are essentially the same everywhere ; namely, the estab- 
lishment of special types of classes. 

There are in the elementary schools of Butte 199 children 
scattered from the i B to the 8 B grade who are 3 5^ears and 



CLASSIFICATION AND PROGRESS OF PUPILS 25 



more behind their grade. In the State of New Jersey there is a 
law which makes it compulsory on boards of education to form 
special classes for all children three years or more over-age. 
Classes for such children are small, the number enrolled not ex- 
ceeding 15 to 20 pupils. Children 3 years and more over-age 
will, as a rule, be found to be mentally defective. It would seem 
v/ise, therefore, that at least an examination be made of this 
entire group of over-age children, and, for those found to be de- 
fective, that special ungraded classes be formed. There would 
probably be need for from 6 to 10 such classes here. 

For children less than 3 and more than i year over-age, ot 
which there are in Butte 1277 scattered throughout all the differ- 
ent grades, there have been established, in all progressive cities, 
what are known as classes or schools for backAvard children. 
Where such backward classes have been established there is gen- 
erally one such class in each school, and into this class are 
brought all children 2 or more years over-age. The purposes of 
such classes are two-fold. First, for the younger children, the 
object of such a class is so to instruct them that they may make 
up the major portion of lost time, and ultimately graduate from 
the regular course. Second, for the older children, who still are 
in the lower grades, the purpose of such a class is so to modify 
the course of study that these children may receive the kind of 
instruction which will later be most useful to them. No effort 
is made to return these pupils to regular classes, for experience 
has shown that they seldom, if ever, remain to complete the 
regular course. 

The preferable method of caring for backward children, 
however, is to bring all such children into one central school. 
This makes possible a better classification and graduation, and a 
better modification of instruction to the particular needs of given 
groups of children. Such a central school has the same two-fold 
aim as the single class. 

Whether the school authorities of Butte decide to establish 
classes in the several schools, or to organize one central school, 
it would seem that there would be need in the city for not less 
than 12 to 15 such classes. 

While it is not serious for children to be less than one year 
over-age, or even more than a year over-age, providing they are 
still in the lower grades, it, however, becomes serious for children 
in the upper grades. Among this group of children, namely, 
children less than i year and over i and less than 2 years over- 
age, of which there are over 2500 in Butte — there are probably 
individual cases which should have the advantage of the special 
attention to be received in a class or school for backward chil- 
dren. Many of these children, however, have the ability, provid- 
ing opportunities were offered, to do more than the regular work 
in the course. For such children there have been established, in 
all progressive cities, what is known as rapid advancement 
classes. A number of such classes should be established in the 



26 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

schools of Butte. From the facts at hand, it would seem that 
there should be one or more such classes in each grade above the 
I B. If there are not sufficient children in one school to form 
such a class in a given grade, such children might be transferred 
temporarily to a neighboring school having such a class. 

Elementary Suuiincr School. — A further means of enabling 
backward children of whatever degree of over-ageness to more 
nearly gain a complete elementary education, is the establishment 
of summer schools for backward children. Such summer schools 
are not play schools, but places for serious work, where children 
are able either to make up the work in certain subjects in which 
they have failed, thereby receiving the promotion denied them at 
the end of the school year, or where they are able to do an entire 
term's work. Climatic conditions are most favorable in Butte 
for the establishment of such a summer school. If such a school 
were established, it would merely be extending to the elementary 
school pupils, advantages already offered to high school pupils. 

The establishment of special classes for defective children, 
the establishment of special classes or a central school for back- 
ward children, the organization of rapid advancement classes, 
and the organization of a summer school, would all tend to re- 
duce the amount of over-age, because these special classes and 
schools afford children additional opportunities to do the pre- 
scribed work, or the opportunity to do this work under more 
favorable conditions than at present. 

It might be thought that the formation of these special 
classes would entail material cost. It must be remembered, how- 
ever, that these children are already in the schools and are being 
instructed at a great disadvantage, whereas if they are segre- 
gated and given special opportunities, not only is the education 
received by them more beneficial, but many of them will be able 
to complete the elementar}- school, and thus shorten the number 
of years they are actually instructed. In a word, experience has 
shown that whereas the direct cost of establishing such classes is 
considerable, the ultimate cost is immaterial. In addition, the 
segregation of this group of children makes more favorable the 
working conditions in regular classes for normal children. 

Rate of Promotion and Non-Promotion. — Equally as funda- 
mental in reducing the amount of over-age in the elementary 
schools of Butte is the necessity of reducing the present high rate 
of non-promotion, for the direct cause of children falling behind 
their grade is their failure to be advanced regularly, hence the 
significance of non-promotion. Table lo gives, by grades, the 
number of -children promoted, the number not promoted, and the 
per cent of non-promoted for the first semester of the current 
school vear. 



CLASSIFICATION AND PROGRESS OF PUPILS 



27 



TABLE lo. 

Promotion and Non-Promotion. 





Total 
Enrollment 

for 
Semester 


Numb'r 
in Class 
at end 
of Sem- 
ester 


Number in Class at 
at End of Semester 


Per Cent of 
Non-Promo 
tion on Base 
of No.at end 
of Semester 


Grade 


a 
Promoted 


b 

Not 
Promoted 


8 A 

8 B 

7 A 

7 B 

6 A 

6 B 

5 A 

5 B 

4 A 

4 B.r.... 

3 A 

3 B 

2 A 

2 B 

I A 

I B 


177 
220 
214 

333 
333 

370 


152 
200 
199 
301 
297 

337 


141 
170 

151 
241 

248 

275 
272 

350 
300 

353 
313 
403 
294 
361 
283 
549 


II 
30 
48 
60 

49 
62 


7 
15 
24 

19 
16 
18 


348 
434 
371 
476 

384 
537 
375 
493 
380 

879 


r 322 
402 
342 
426 

349 
492 

346 

448 

353 
778 


50 ! 15 

52 1 12 . 
42 i 12 

73 i 17 
36 ! 10 

89 : 18 

52 1 15 

87 ! 19 

70 ! 19 

229 ! 29 


Total 1 6324 


5744 


4704 1040 \ 18 



28 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



Grade 
8 " 

B 

7 ^ 
B 

6 * 

B 

5 * 

B 

B 
- A 



Percentages of Non-Promotion 
Based on Enrolment at Eno of Semester 

X////A = NoN- Promoted 



wi 



w,m 



^^WZZZL 



'^WL 



^^: 



^^ 



wzm 



^a 



^3 



^3 



^^ 



B 

Percent 



V^Z^ 



^^ 



^^ 



m^WZL 



WMTZM. 



8 



eo 



4fl 



60 



©cr 



I GO 



Fig. S. The line drawn at 8% indicates a probable maximum 
normal rate of non-promotion. All non-promotion to the right of 
the line is excessive. 



CLASSIFICATION AND PROGRESS OF PUPILS 29 



It will be observed that out of 5744 pupils in all the grades 
at the end of the first semester of the current school year, 1040 
failed of advancement, or 18 per cent. It will also be observed 
that the per cent of non-promotion varies from 7 per cent in the 
8 A grade to 29 per cent in the i B grade. 

Reducing Non-Promotion. — The first step in lowering the 
present high rate of non-promotion is to standardize better the 
requirements of the several grades. These requirements should 
be equal, that is, adapted to the abilities of the children. There 
is no good reason wh)^ for example, the rate of non-promotion 
in the 4 B grade should be 10 per cent and in the 7 B grade 24 
per cent. We would therefore recommend that data be collected 
at the end of each semester by schools and by grades, on the rate 
of promotion and non-promotion, and that these data be made 
the basis of discussing with principals and teachers in the several 
schools the reasons for variations in non-promotion standards, 
to the end that there may be uniformity of standards of non-pro- 
motion in the several schools and that the present high rate of 
non-promotion may be lowered. 

It will be noted that the highest rate of non-promotion in 
any single grade is in the i B, 29 per cent ; that is, almost i child 
out of every 3 failed of advancement at the end of the last semes- 
ter. While there are other reasons for this high rate of non- 
promotion, one factor in bringing about this condition is the 
presence, in at least several schools in the city, of a large number 
of foreign-speaking children, to whom English is practically a 
foreign language. To meet similar conditions, progressive cities 
have formed what is known as classes for non-English speaking 
children. These classes are made smaller than the standard i B 
class. To them is assigned one of the best primary teachers in 
the building, and into the class are brought all children of the 
type in question. Such classes should be established in all schools 
of Butte where there is any considerable number of foreign- 
speaking children. The introduction of such classes alone would 
go far to reduce the present rate of non-promotion. While such 
classes would add to the direct expense of instructing primary 
children, facts are at hand to show that, when such classes are 
inaugurated, the rate of promotion among such children is so 
much higher that, in the last analysis, such classes are an economy. 

Even more fundamental in reducing the present high rate 
of non-promotion than standardizing the requirements of the sev- 
eral grades, and the establishment of classes in the i B for non- 
English speaking children, is the necessity of a fundamental 
change in the conception of what constitutes an elementary educa- 
tion. The prevailing conception here seems to be that the purpose 
of the elementary school is to instill into the minds of the children 
a given number of relatively isolated facts and formal definitions. 
Children who can master these facts and definitions and repro- 
duce them are promoted. Those who are unable to do this are 
not promoted. Such a working conception of elementary educa- 



30 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

tion represses the natural abilities of the children and fails to 
appeal either to their imagination or to their reason. If school 
officials, principals and teachers can come to see that the prime 
purpose of the elementary schools is to develop the natural tastes 
and abilities of children, to arouse their imaginations, to stimulate 
their emotions, and to give them power to solve problems and to 
meet practical situations in life, the question of the right of chil- 
dren to advancement will not be based upon mastery of facts of 
a grade, but upon the ability to do work which lies ahead. On 
such a basis, teachers and principals would feel that they can ad- 
vance a much larger per cent of children than they do at the 
present time. 

The question naturally arises, in this connection, what is the 
proper rate of promotion? Briefly answered, the requirements 
of the elementary-school course of study should be such that nor- 
mal children, regular in attendance, should be able to complete 
the elementary-school course in at least 8 years, which means, 
when interpreted in terms of promotion, that if children are 
normal and regular in attendance the rate of promotion should be 
approximately lOO per cent. 

Failures by Studies. — Whereas the over-age results directly 
from failure to be advanced, non-promotion is due to children 
failing in certain branches of the course of study. Table ii gives, 
by grades, the number of children failing, at the end of the first 
semester of the current school year, in each of the several branches 
of the elemenlarv school course. 



CLASSIFICATION AND PROGRESS OF PUPILS 



31 



TABLE II. 

Failures by Studies. 





,;_j 


;_ 
























■ 






QJ 






















U: 








CO yj 






















.S 






. 1 


u £ 














>. 








• C^ 








^ OJ 






















rrt 












_CJ 


<v 










en 












CD 




u 




< 


Of) 

C 


b;0 

CO 


Oh 

be 

<v 




'to 


IT) 


fcuC 


b/j 
P 


'en 

;3 


13 


bx> 
c 

'% 

CO 


8 A 


177 


152 





II 


5' 1 








I 








1 1 I i 


8 B 


220 


200 


3 


17 


14I 3 





6 


II 


2 


I 





i! 


7 A 


214 


199 


3 


38 


26| 6 


15 


9 


II 





3 


I I 


7 B 


333 


301 





54 


23 1 2 


19 


7 





5 


4 II 


3 





6 A 


333 


297 


I 


44 


5i 3 


b 


2 





I 


I I 





I 


6 A 


370 


337 


6 


50 


i8| II 


21 


16 


3 


8 


6 


8 


I 





5 A 


348 


322 


3 


38 


8i 4 


18 


II 


I 


I 


I 


I 








5 B 


434 


402 


I 


23 


10 


6 


21 


5 


I 








o| 


4 A 


371 


342 


6 


28 


20 


8 


II 


7 





2 


21 3 


ol 


4 B 


476 
384 
537 
375 
493 
380 

879 


426 

349 
492 

346 
448 
353 
778 


4 



42 
24 

43 

30 

46 




25 
7 

36 
6 


t8 


13 

7 

34 




19 

2 





r> 


n 





n 


0. 


2 A 


6 


n 











n 


n> 


2 B 


TO 


31 

7 
^8 


t6 


n 


7 


T 








n 


2 A 


^6 








I i 





2 B 


66 


7 
3 
8 











T 





0! n 





I A 


64 
203 























f> 


I B 


9 


9 



























Total 


6324 


5744 


396 


4971 


221 


143 1 


165 


100 


27 


31 


20 


29 7 


2 



It will be observed that the total failures in the several 
studies are by no means uniform, varying from 2 in sewing tO' 497 
in arithmetic. On the basis of the number of children failed in 
the respective subjects, it is obvious that the requirements in these 
several subjects are unequal, and that these branches are not 
given equal place in the advancement of the children. The num- 
ber of failures in arithmetic is the highest, and this subject is 
obviously given the first place in the course of study ; reading, the 
second; language, the third; geography, the fourth; spelling, the 
fifth ; physiology, the sixth ; writing, the seventh ; music, the 
eighth ; United States history, the ninth ; drawing, the tenth ; 
manual training, the eleventh ; and sewing, the twelfth. 

Indeed, in view of the number of failures, it might be said 
that only reading, arithmetic, language, spelling, geography and 
physiology play any material part in the advancement of children 
in the schools of Butte. While perhaps no one would contend 
that writing, drawing, music, manual training and sewing should 
be given equal place with the other branches of the course of 
study, yet we believe it is equally wrong not to give these branches 
an important place in the education of children. Indeed, were this 
done, we believe that not only the rate of promotion in the ele- 



32 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

mentary schools in Butte would be increased, but we believe that 
the real value of the education given would be enhanced. 

Reducing the Number of Failures. — The differences in the 
number of failures in the several subjects that seemingly do 
actually count in the advancement of the children, raises the prac- 
tical question why 497 children should be failed in arithmetic 
against 396 in reading, 221 in language, 165 in geography, 143 in 
spelling and 100 in physiology. These differences also raise the 
question why the requirements in physiology should be such that 
100 children are failed against 27 in United States history. In a 
word, these variations raise the question with regard to the re- 
quirements of the several branches of the course of study. Similar 
data, we believe, should be collected by schools and by grades, and 
these data be made the basis for discussion with principals and 
teachers, to the end that the requirements in the several studies 
may be adapted to the abilities of the children and made com- 
mensurate with the real importance of the respective subjects in 
the education of children. 

Sise of Class in Elementary Schools. — While the progress of 
children through the schools is not as regular as it should be, and 
while there is great need of providing special classes for different 
groups of pupils, there are, notwithstanding, conditions in the 
schools of Butte which ought to contribute much to the regular 
advancement of pupils. Among such conditions is the size of 
classes. 

In order that the very best work may be done, classes in the 
schools ought not to contain more than from 35 to 40 pupils. 
When classes are of this size, it is possible for the teacher to give 
the time and attention to pupils requisite to the achievement of 
the best results. 

There were in the elementary schools of Butte, in the first 
semester of the current school year, 177 classes. Of these 177 
classes, the average number belonging, that is, the daily average 
number for which a teacher is responsible, was as follows : 

18 had an average belonging of less than 25. 

39 had an average belonging of 25 and less than 30. 

56 had an average belonging of 30 and less than 35. 

45 had an average belonging of 35 and less than 40. 

17 had an average belonging of 40 and less than 45. 
2 had an average belonging of 45 and less than 50. 
Total, 177. 

While 19 of the classes in the elementary schools exceeded 
the ideal number 35 to 40, it may be said that there were but two 
over-large classes, the two having an average belonging of 45 and 
less than 50. We doubt whether such favorable class conditions 
are duplicated in any other city of similar size in the United 
States, and we heartily approve and commend the size of classes 
as found in the elementary schools of Butte. 

Sise of Sections in the High School. — Similar favorable con- 



CLASSIFICATION AND PROGRESS OF PUPILS 



33 



ditions exist in the high school with respect to the size of recita- 
tion sections. Recitation sections in a high school, it is generally 
agreed, ought not to contain more than from 25 to 30 pupils, if 
instruction is to be effective. 

Table 12 gives by subjects the number and size of the recita- 
tion sections in the Butte High School, as of February 27, 1914. 

TABLE 12. 

Number and Size of Recitation Sections. 



Subject 



Size of Section 






VO 










10 


CO 


LO 


1 


1 


CO 

1 


h-4 


<N 


1— 1 


0) 




CO 



Ph o 

6 m 



S. fl 



c 

• o 

o <u 



English 32 

Elocution 7 

Latin 15 

German 7 

French 5 

Geology 4 

Biology 2 

Physics 4 

Chemistry ..: 4. 

Physiography 5 

Mathematics 26 

History 14 

Com'l Branches 20 

Stenography 6 

Typewriting 6 

Drawing 12 

Mech. Drawing \ 7 

Woodturning | 3 

Joining | I 



Forge Work | i 

Machine Work | 3 

Cooking i 4 

Sewing i 5 



II 

3 
8 
2 

I 



2 

15 
2 

8 
I 
I 
3 
4 



693 

96 

227 

97 
49 
96 

38 

87 

62 

102 

515 
286 

437 
105 
114 

173 
94 

43 
21 
6 
22 
56 
67 



21,7 
13-7 

13-9 
9.8 

24 

19 
21.7 

15-5 
20.4 
19.8 
20.4 
21.9 

17-5 
19 
14.4 
134 

14-3 
21 

6 

7-3 
14 
134 



Total Sections of | 
Difterent Sizes 193 



24 1 36 



66 



48 



16 



Per Cent of Sec- | I | 
tions of Each Size i12.4l18.6l 



34-2 



24.9 8.3 



0.5I0.S 



O-S 



Of the 193 recitation sections in the high school on February 
27, 1914, there were sections having: 

LTnder 11 pupils, 24 or 12.4 per cent. 
II — 15 pupils, 36 or 18.6 per cent. 



34 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

1 6 — 20 pupils, 66 or 34.2 per cent. 
21 — 25 pupils, 48 or 24.9 per cent. 
26;; — 30 pupils, 16 or 8.3 per cent. 
31 — 35 pupils, I or 0.5 per cent. 
36 — ^40 pupils, I or 0.5 per cent. 
41 — 46 pupils, I or 0.5 per cent. 

There were, it will be observed, not to exceed three over- 
large sections in the entire school. The sections ranging from 21 
to 30, 64 or 33.2 per cent of the total number, fall within the 
standard limits or are of reasonable size, while all sections under 
21, 126 or 65.2 per cent of the total number, may be characterized 
as small. 

In a cosmopolitan high school, such as that of Butte, by rea- 
son of the number of different courses offered, the number of 
different electives permitted, and the relatively srhall number of 
pupils in each of the several courses, a considerable number of 
small sections, especially in the upper classes, are inevitable. 
Whether or not there are an unnecessary number of small recita- 
tion sections in the high school, it is impossble for us to say. This 
much is, however, clear. In order that the number of small reci- 
tation sections may be kept at a minimum, special attention should 
be given to the technic of high-school program making. 

In addition, the presence of such a large number of small 
sections makes clear the possibility of a considerable increase in 
the number of pupils in certain departments, without a corres- 
ponding increase in the number of teachers. This is particularly 
true in the case of Latin, German, French, in all of the sciences, 
and in the so-called industrial branches — mechanical drawing, 
wood turning, joinery, forge-work, machine shop, cooking and 
sewing. In a word, the present enrollment of the high school in 
many departments could probably be increased by 50 per cent 
without a material increase in the number of teachers and equip- 
ment. 

Failures by Studies in the High School. — The high school 
course is, in theory, four years in length. When a student fails 
in a given branch, either this failure must be made up by taking 
extra work in a subsequent term, or the student, to graduate, must 
remain in high school longer than four years. To fail to com- 
plete the work in a subject within the prescribed time is, there- 
fore, important both to the pupil and to the tax payer. 

Table 13 gives, by studies, the failures in the high school the 
first semester of the current school year. 



CLASSIFICATION AND PROGRESS OF PUPILS 



35 



TABLE 13. 
Failures in High School by Studies. 



Study 



Number in 
Class at End 
of Semester 



Number 

of 
Failures 



Percent 

of 
Failures 



English 

Reading- 

Latin 

. German 

French 

Chemistry 

Ph_vsics 

Geology 

Physiography 

Botany 

Physiography 

Mathematics 

History 

Economics 

Commercial Law 

Commerc'l Arithmetic 

Spelling 

Commerc'l Geograph}^ 

Penmanship 

Bookkeeping 

Stenography ; 

Typewriting 

Free Hand Drawing 

JMechanical Drawing... 

Manual Training 

Sewing 

Cookins: 



625 
82 

208 
91 
49 
41 
87 
52 
89 
12 

17 
467 
242 

26 

15 
92 

73 
29 
92 

TOO 

97 
96 
164 
84 
81 

55 
41 



34 
4 
52 
22 
16 
6 
28 

3 

12 

o 
o 
87 
17 
o 
o 

5 
8 
I 
o 
o 
17 

17 
2 

4 

10 

o 

o 



541 
4.87 

25.00 

24.18 

32.65 
14.63 
32.18 

5-76 
13.40 

0.00 
0.00 

18.63 

7.02 
0.00 
0.00 

5-43 
10.95 

345 
0.00 
0.00 

17-52 

16.56 

1.22 

4-75 

12.34 

0.00 

0.00 



Total 



;iio 



335 



10.77 



*Numbei- iii Class r.t End of Semester includes also pupils in tlie class 
any time during the semester T\iio dropped out of the given class, but who 
remained in school. 

It will be observed that the failures by studies range from o 
in Penmanship to 32.65 per cent in French, and that, while the 
average per cent of failures in all studies is 10.77, there is no 
uniformity among the different studies in the per cent of failures. 
The majority of failures are, however, in a few studies, such as 
Latin, German, French, Physics, Mathematics, Stenography, and 
Typewriting. 

Why should the requirement be such in a study like Eco- 
nomics that all pupils can carry the work, while the requirements 
are such that 32.18 per cent fail in Physics, 32.65 per cent in 
French, 25 per cent in Latin, 24.18 per cent in German, and 18.63 
per cent in Mathematics? Greater liberality can, doubtless, be 
shown in advancing children in a study which is given for one 



36 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

term only, as Economics, than in a study lilce Latin which con- 
tinues from term to term throughout the course, but why should 
the requirements be so different even in studies which continue 
from term to term, and which are assigned equal time-values in 
the course of study? 

Such differences may be due to differences in the difficulty 
for the student of the subject matter presented, lo differences in 
methods of teaching, or to differences in the standards of attain- 
ment held by different teachers. Whatever the cause, such data 
as the above should be collected for each term by subjects and 
teachers and be made the basis of discussion between principals 
and teachers, to the end that methods of teaching may be im- 
proved and the requirements of each of the several studies be 
better standardized, — that is, made commensurate with the im- 
portance of the study in the education of children. Unless that 
is done, the advancement of children is conditioned very largely 
by the subject they take and the particular teacher they chance to 
have. 

Moreover, data should be collected on the actual length of 
time it takes pupils to complete a given course, and on the basis 
of such data the requirements of the respective courses should be 
so adjusted to the abilities of children that those who are normal 
and regular in attendance can complete an entire course in four 
years. 

Summary. — The school population of the city of Butte is, as 
we have seen, cosmopolitan, comprising a very large foreign 
element, which adds considerably to the difficulty of conducting 
a successful school system. On the other hand, the school system 
is of the traditional type, giving traditional courses of instruction. 
In order that the efficiency of the school system of Butte may be 
definitely measured, it will be necessary, as we have pointed out, 
to collect more adequate data than is now at hand on the number 
of children in the district of school age, on the number of children 
enrolled in the public, private, and parochial schools, and on the 
holding power of these schools. That information may be at hand 
which will aid in simplifying the course of study and standardiz- 
ing study standards, data should be collected on promotions, non- 
promotions, and on failures by studies. That greater opportunity 
may be afforded to children who are already behind their grade, 
there is need for the establishment of special classes and schools 
having special purposes and courses of study designed to meet 
the needs of different groups of children. Moreover, that the 
public schools of Butte may serve in the fullest way all the chil- 
dren, youth, and adults of the community, there is need of addi- 
tional re-adjustments other than the above. These needed re- 
adjustments will be discussed in full in the subsequent chapters 
of this report. 



THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION 37 

CHAPTER II 

THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION. 
I. General Principles. 

The Sitrvey of the Quality of Teaching in Butte. — The 
strength of any school system depends, in large measure, upon 
the quality of work done by individual teachers. The commission 
appointed to survey the Butte school system began their work by 
planning a schedule by which every teacher employed in the dis- 
trict was to be visited. In making these visits, each teacher was 
observed during a whole recitation period, or during such part of 
a period as was necessary to understand her methods of work in 
the subject which was being taught. As has already been indi- 
cated, all of the members of the survey commission oarticipated 
in this part of the work. Each of them reported, at the end of 
each day's visitation, concerning the several teachers whose work 
had been observed. In summarizing the observations, it was dis- 
covered that not only had practically every teacher been visited, 
but that one or more lessons had been observed in every subject 
and in every grade in which that subject was taught. These re- 
ports were discussed by all of the members of the commission, and 
the findings reported below represent the combined judgment of 
all, and not the opinion of any individual. 

Standards for Judging the Quality of Instruction and Class 
Room Procedure. — It is not uncommon to judge of the work of 
an individual teacher or of a school system in terms of certain 
aims, purposes, or-ideals of education. In modern educational 
theory, it has been common to define the aim of education in 
terms of social efficiency. That aim as analyzed has sometimes 
been interpreted to mean that the work of the school is to be 
judged by the degree to which certain qualities are developed in 
children which enable them to contribute to the common good. 
These qualities may be expressed as follows : 

1. Sympathy, or responsiveness to social needs. 

2. Intelligence, or the ability to think straight with respect 
to those issues which involve all members of the community. 

3. The habit of acting for the common good. 

We desire to develop in our democracy a group of individuals 
filled with ideals of service, intelligent and open-minded with re- 
spect to community problems, and practiced in the art of serving 
their fellow men. Significant as these standards or aims are, and 
necessary as they may be in giving direction and affording criteria 
for judgment concerning our education practice, there remains the 
fact that the individual recitation must be judged in tenns of other 
criteria, largely psychological and sociological, which varv with 
the different subjects or parts of subjects taught, and with the 
maturity of the children being instructed. It has been our purpose 
in judging the quality of instruction and the class-room procedure 
to keep in mind both the aims of education which give direction 



38 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

and meaning to the whole process, while at the same time we 
judged of the technique of instruction with respect to different 
types of teaching situations and varying problems of school man- 
agement. 

The Drill Lesson. — One of the most common types of class- 
room exercise is that which is known as the drill lesson. The suc- 
cess or failure of work of this kind depends upon the teacher's 
command of the technique of habit formation. To learn to spell 
a word, to know a multiplication table, or to command, auto- 
matically, the several forms of a German or a Latin verb, may be 
a long-drawn out process against which the pupil rebels, or, by 
virtue of the skill of the teacher, the accomplishment of the desired 
end may carry only pleasant associations, and the time be greatly 
shortened. In drill, the motive or incentive for doing the work 
is of primary importance. The teacher who is able to make her 
pupils want to learn the tables in order that they may excel in an 
arithmetic game which they play, will secure the result which she 
desires with greater ease and in a shorter time than is necessary 
for another teacher who is interested only in compelling the chil- 
dren to acquire the habits involved because they are a part of the 
course of study which she has to teach. Skilful teachers are al- 
ways seeking to vary the method which they employ, and to find 
new devices which introduce the maximum of motive upon the 
part of children. 

In a spelling lesson, the skilful teacher, who has secured the 
maximum of motive, realizes that it is necessary to have the atten- 
tion of the children fixed upon that part of the work, or that 
peculiarity of relation between sound and letters, which may pre- 
sent a difficulty. In all other fields where we seek to establish 
invariable responses in the form of habits, it is essential that the 
children be conscious of the peculiar difficulty, and that they 
analyze the situation so as to center their attention upon the im- 
portant element involved. Mere repetition of the multiplication 
table or of the letters of the words to be spelled will not bring the 
maximum of return in the way of ability to spell, or knowledge 
of the multiplication table. Repetitions are valuable in proportion 
as children concentrate their attention upon the forms they are 
attempting to learn. 

Teachers often make mistakes in prolonging the period of 
drill beyond the power of the children to give close attention to 
the work in hand. It is of great importance in work of this charac- 
ter that children be impressed with the futility of random guessing. 
They should rather be taught always to look up for themselves 
or to inquire from the teacher concerning the exact form, rather 
than to run the risk of making mistakes which will have a tendency 
to persist and to cause difficulty over long periods of time. 
Teachers need to learn that children may seem to know the proper 
spelling of words, their multiplication tables, or their declensions 
and conjugations on one day, and then to have forgotten them a 
month or two afterwards. The successful teacher realizes, where 



THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION _39 

habits are involved, that the ultimate complete mastery of a form 
which she hopes to fix depends upon the original learning, and 
almost equally upon the gradual lengthening of the periods be- 
tween drill lessons. For example, a multiplication table which 
the children seem to have mastered today, should be reviewed to- 
morrow, and next week, and two weeks later, and a month later. 
It is, of course, important in all drill work that as many oppor- 
tunities as are possible be provided for the use of the particular 
form mastered. Indeed, the criteria for directing those responses 
which we wish to make habitual is expressed by the demand that 
we drill children only with respect to those forms which they must 
continually use. 

Lessons Involving Thinking. — The most significant work of 
the school, from the standpoint of educating for social service the 
children whom they teach, is to be found in the proper conduct 
of those lessons which involve thinking upon the part of pupils. 
The progress of our democracy depends, in the last analysis, upon 
the power of the individual citizen to think for himself and to 
choose intelligently the leaders who are to carry out that program 
of social progress which we all desire. It is altogether too com- 
mon in our schools to find children and teachers who are satisfied 
with repeating the ideas and thoughts of the book, or the mere 
memorization of those ideas or thoughts. From the standpoint 
of developing intelligence, and of preparing children for citizen- 
ship, it is of the utmost importance that the teacher discover to 
her pupils problems which will prove vital to them, and that the 
pupils accept responsibility for the thinking which is necessary in 
solving the problem which they face. Lessons in nature study, 
geography, history and the like, do not serve their proper function 
in educating children when they end merely in remembering what 
the teacher or the book has declared with respect to a particular 
phenomenon or a peculiar situation. 

Knowledge or information can never be thought of as any- 
thing more than the raw material of thinking. It is of vastly 
greater importance that a pupil know how to gather information 
or data, that he be practiced in organizing and finding the meaning 
of the facts secured, that he reach his own conclusions, and that 
he have the habit of verifying these conclusions in terms of real 
situations, than that he be able to remember all of the facts in 
all of the books that have been furnished him during his school 
course. The teacher who asked a class to discover Avhy they have 
such terrible famines in India, placed them in a position in which 
it was necessary to know the facts of the geography of India, 
stimulated them intellectually by demanding that they utilize such 
knowledge as they possessed in the solution of a problem in which 
they were interested. The nature-study teacher who teaches chil- 
dren concerning the form and nsmes of all the different parts of 
a plant or tree has accomplished very little as compared with the 
teacher who asked her class to try to decide why, in a certain 
community, most of the people had planted elm trees. A history 



40 SCHOOJ. SURVEY REPORT 

teacher has not added ©reatly to the development of the mtelicctual 
life of her pupils when she has them recite, by topics, all of the 
facts recorded in the text, but she may have developed some power 
of independent thought if she asks her ptipils to think for them- 
selves concerning- the issues which have been presented in the 
thought of the generations which are past, and which have de- 
termined the course of human history. Put briefly, one may judge 
of the success of those lessons which should involve thinking by 
asking the following questions : 

Has the teacher discovered to the pupils problems in which 
they are vitally interested ? 

Have the children learned, under the guidance of the teacher, 
how to collect that information or those data which are essential 
for the solution of their problems ? 

Have the pupils learned how to organize the data which chey 
have gathered in such a way as to discover their significance? 

Have the pupils a command of fundamental principles, and 
are they in the habit of consciously referring to those principles 
which have been established, in expressing their beliefs, or con- 
clusions ? 

Does the teacher constantly seek to place the responsibility 
for inference with the pupils, rather than ask them to accept the 
conclusions which she has reached, or which are to be found in 
a book ? 

Are ])upils learning that no conclusion or belief is to be 
accepted without such verification as may be possible in the experi- 
ence of everyda}^ life ? 

It is only when teachers have such ideas and ideals as are 
given above that we may hope to develop in our schools that in- 
telligence which will make for a society in which the boss and the 
demagogue and the quack are driven out, and the leadership of 
the scientist and of the man devoted to the public welfare accepted. 

Lessons for Appreciation. — We are coming to ruiderstand 
that it is the business of education to provide for the use of leisure 
time as well as to give vocational training. Throughout our coun- 
try, we find men and women whose leisure is devoted to types 
of amusement which are not only not beneficial, but often posi- 
tively injurious. It is the business of education tn ^Uyelop the 
power of appreciation in the fields of literature, fine arts, and 
music, not only from the standpoint of the books and pictures and 
music which are made available for all at the public expense, but 
also from the standpoint of developing in the home a type of 
activity and interest — possibly even an avocation — which may re- 
lieve somewhat the drudgery which is too often associated with 
the day's work. For the development of this power of appreciation 
and of interest in those things which are most worthy, the school 
community must depend most of all upon the teacher's power of 
appreciation and her skill in interpretation. Great literature, noble 



THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION 41 

poetry, and beautiful music are apt to attract children and become 
important factors in their lives only when the children have been 
fortunate enough to associate with those whose greatest satisfac- 
tion comes from the enjoyment of these nobler pleasures. 

We may never expect children to be fired with enthusiasm for 
music or art or poetry, except as they come in contact with teachers 
of great power and enthusiasm. In addition to the teacher's inter- 
pretation, it is essential, in these fields, that the pupils learn some- 
thing of the thought and feeling expressed in these artistic forms, 
and that they command, in some degree, the technique of the artist 
whose Avork they would appreciate. It is futile to havp children 
recite poetry unless they have, back of the memorization, a lively 
appreciation of the thought expressed and of the emotions which 
the poet sought to express in words. Some knowledge and even 
some skill in the use of the technique of the artist may contribute 
to the power of appreciation, provided there is not too much em- 
phasis upon this phase of the work. For example, it is well for 
children to be able to read music, but if the course in music centers 
in this technical work, there is apt to be little power of appreciation 
developed. The teacher Avho can subordinate the technical aspects 
of the subject to the more vital enthusiasm which is developed 
through her power to interpret, is the one who may expect the 
interest developed in school to carry over into the lives of the 
children after school days are over. 

Creative work in any of the artistic fields may mean much 
in a growth of power of appreciation. The pupil who has written 
music to express a feeling corresponding to the words of the song 
composed by himself, the boy or girl who has tried to express, 
with the pencil or brush, the beauty of natural objects about him, 
may be expected to have a livelier appreciation of the work of the 
great artists than can ever be enjoyed by one who has never par- 
ticipated through production. In all of these fields, it is of 
primary importance that the pupil exercise choice, rather than 
accept the statement of someone else, however more mature. 
Teachers often encourage pupils to say that they enjoy that which 
has little meaning for them, and the net effect of this hypocritical 
attitude upon the part of chldren is to destroy, rather than create 
appreciation of those things most worth while. In poetry, or in 
music, or in art, it is well for the teacher, as often as is possible, 
to allow children to choose, from among those examples of the 
particular art which are worthy, the particular forms which they 
individually most enjoy. The power of appreciation develops 
gradually, and the skilful teacher holds before children, from time, 
to time, those artistic forms which are just a little higher in the 
scale of excellence than those which the children have heretofore 
delighted in. Power to appreciate the noblest in literature, or in 
music, or in art, is reached only after long experience, and growth 
in power of appreciation is based upon the progressive use of 
those forms which lead from the lower to the higher levels. 

Teaching Children to Study. — The success of any teacher mav 



42 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

be measured by the ability shown by her pupils for independent 
work. It is entirely possible to conduct a good drill lesson in spell- 
ing, and yet have children waste time when they study their spell- 
ing lessons alone. It is necessary, if children are to work inde- 
pendently and economically, for the teacher to make them con- 
scious of the method of work which will bring the most satisfac- 
tory results. They need to think of the necessity for picking the 
particular difficulties in the forms to be mastered ; they need to 
realize what it is to pay attention ; and they must know the danger 
of making mistakes, if they are to be expected to study their 
spelling lesson, or their multiplication tables, or their declensions 
and conjugations to best advantage. In that part of the school 
work involving thinking, it is not enough for the children to have 
exercised such power of thought as they may possess, under the 
direction of the teacher. They need to understand that it is nec- 
essary, in good thinking, to refer constantly to the particular 
problem under consideration. They must be taught how to use 
books and reference material to the best advantage. They need 
training in notating and in annotating. They need to be made 
conscious of the process of organizing data with reference to the 
particular problem which they are attacking. 

Even in an exercise so simple as the memorization of a poem, 
it is essential, if the teacher would avoid habits of work which 
are positively injurious, that she make her pupils aware of the 
fact that the process of memorization depends upon careful analy- 
sis of the thought, mastery of the shades of meaning expressed by 
the author, and careful attention to the particular mode or method 
of expression, before any attempt is made to repeat the words 
of the author. It is possible to demonstrate to children that this 
method of work is not only more satisfactory from the standpoint 
of understanding and appreciating the poem, but that it is also 
actually more economical from the standpoint of the time which 
will be needed for the process of memorization. In all kinds of 
school work, it is most necessary that pupils be made conscious of 
the method of work which is most economical, and that they con- 
stantly be encouraged to undertake independent study. Children 
who have been taught how to study will continue to learn, while 
children who have not learned how to work independently will be 
handicapped, even in their later school or college work. 

Social Phases of School Work.— The success of the work of 
any teacher depends, in large measure, upon the relationships 
wliich exist among the pupils of her class, and between members 
of the class and herself. A recitation ought to be a place where 
children and teacher discuss together the problems which are in- 
volved in the subjects which they study. All too often teachers 
dominate the situation, and children ignore each other. We may 
not hope to develop the spirit of co-operation nor the habit of 
working for common ends in a classroom which is dominated bv 
a teacher whose orders, or requests, furnish the sole criteria of 
action for the pupils. The right sort of social relationships in the 



THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION 43 

class-room can be indicated by asking tbe following" questions con- 
cerning class-room procedure ; 

Do the children do most of the talking ? 

Do children ask questions of each other ? 

Are the questions which the teacher asks such as to stimulate 
discussion among the pupils ? 

Do the children answer questions which are put by the 
teacher, or by other children, only after careful thought, and are 
the_v willing to defend iheir position against the suggestions of 
doubt which may be expressed by other pupils ? 

Do children feel that it is most worth while to help each 
other, and do they commonly feel responsible for the progress of 
the class ? 

Are the children so arranged during the recitation period 
as to be able to see each other ? 

Is it the habit of every child to speak to all of the members 
of the group, rather than to the teacher? 

When the work of the class-room is so organized as to develop 
the spirit of full and free discussion upon the part of pupils, v\^hen 
the teacher's questions are such as to provoke thought, when pupils 
really discuss with each other the issues which may arise in then- 
class work, when the spirit of cooperation is everywhere present, 
when the teacher realizes that it is her main business to guide 
and direct the normal processes of thought and action on the part 
of the pupils, rather than to test them, and to accept the entire 
responsibility for their control, then the social training received in 
the schools may be expected to contribute largely to the develop- 
ment of socially efficient boys and girls. 

Discipline and Management. — Much that has been suggested 
under the head of social phases of school work might have been 
treated under the head of discipline and management. There re- 
mains to be considered the question of discipline in its narrower 
significance. The end to be sought in the control of children is 
the development of the power of self-control. We ought to judge 
discipline in a class-room, not primarily by the ability which the 
teacher has to compel children to remain quiet and orderly, but 
rather b}^ the power of the children to accept the responsibility 
for themselves either when the teacher is present or when she may 
be absent from the room. The teacher who is able to allow chil- 
dren to move from their seats in order to consult books, or to 
ask questions, or to secure needed materials, has undoubtedly de- 
veloped greater strength upon the part of pupils, and should be 
given credit for better management, than the teacher who must 
always be consulted before the pupil leaves his seat. 

There are, of course, situations which demand an invariable 
response, and which should be matters of habit. The passing 
of materials to a w^hole class, or a fire drill, are good illustrations 
of this type of response. The end to be sought is, however, mainly 



44 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

to develop upon the part of children a feeling of responsibility 
for themselves and for their class and school. It is only when 
children have this practice in self-control that we may claim that 
the school is doing its part to develop in them the qualities which 
are so essential for good citizenship. 

Under the head of management may be considered the prob- 
lems of group teaching, individual instruction, and seat work. In 
any group of thirty to forty children, a good teacher will find 
occasion for dividing the larger group into two or three smaller 
divisions, in order that those of similar ability may work together. 
There will always be need for individual instruction for the boy 
or girl who has been absent on account of illness, or for one 
who may be backward with reference to some particular phase of 
school work. When the class is sectioned, those who are not 
reciting will, if they have been taught to work independently, 
be engaged in the preparation of lessons which are to follow. 

The Quality of ti-ie Teaching Done in the Butte Schools. 

Having established the criteria for judging the quality of in- 
struction, it might seem proper to pass judgment, without further 
discussion, upon the work of the teachers of the school system 
were it not for the fact that in any situation the quality of the 
teaching done depends upon certain other facts. These may be 
named as follows : 

The courses of study. 

The character of supervision. 

The preparation of the teachers. 

Each of these considerations will be treated more fully in 
another part of this report. Suttice it to say here that the teachers 
of Butte represent, as a body, a minimum of professional training 
or preparation ; that most of those who hold supervisory positions 
have not been especially trained for their work, and that the 
courses of study need revision 

Greater Efficiency Possible. — In the very beginning of this 
discussion concerning the quality of the work done by the teachers, 
the commission wishes to make a distinction between that which 
is now common in the practices of the teachers, and that which 
they believe is possible of accomplishment by the same teaching 
corps. After careful observation of all of the work of the school 
system, and of practically all of the teachers, it was the unanimous 
opinion of the commission that the teachers now in the school 
system are capable, by virtue of their natural ability and their 
capacity for growth, of rendering a quality of service very greatly 
superior to that which they now give. The commission does not 
wish, in making this statement, to undervalue the good work 
which is now being done, and it may be well, therefore, at the 
very beginning of this discussion, to enumerate some type of exer- 
cises which have come under their observation, and which seem 
to them to merit special commendation. 



THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION 45 

Good Work Seen. — In all of the schools of the city, teachers 
are doing good drill work. In some of the classes visited there 
was considerable discussion upon the part of pupils. In the 
topical work in geography and history, children showed consider- 
able power in presenting the facts, with respect to a particular 
topic, in consecutive discussion ranging from one to ten minutes 
in duration. Many teachers were workng for the development 
of power in appreciation in music, literature, and drawing. The 
commission would like especially to commend the use of the 
phonograph and the work in dramatization, the committing to 
memory of poetry, and the singing of songs which the children 
so much enjoy. The handwork which has been done in connection 
with the work in drawing will, it is believed, furnish a basis for 
more work of this sort. From the standpoint of the social phases 
of school work, the members of the commission were much 
pleased with the spirit of good fellowship which prevailed be- 
tween teachers and pupils. They observed some degree of free- 
dom in passing from the building, and in moving about the room. 
Politeness and courtesy on the part of pupils seemed to be the 
rule throughout the city. 

In order to be perfectly frank, it is necessary to state that the 
excellent work, suggested in the enumeration given above, was not 
universally found in the system. There is great need throughout 
the schools of capitalizing the strong work which is being done 
by especially capable teachers, by having them discuss their work 
with others who are less well trained, or by having those who are 
less able visit the class-rooms in which the more capable teachers 
work. 

Drill Work. — It was noted above that the commission had 
observed some good drill work. In the system as a whole, drill 
has been entirely too much emphasized. On account of the im- 
portance attached to examinations, and because of the nature of 
these tests, it appears to the members of the commission that there 
has been altogether too much cramming of facts, and too little 
opportunity for thinking on the part of children. There needs to 
he more attention given to the problem of supplying proper 
motive for drill work, a better understanding of the necessity for 
gradual lengthening of the intervals betvv^een repetitions, and more 
attempt to fmd occasions for applying, in life situations, the re- 
sults of the drill exercises. On the other hand, there is need for 
better appreciation of the meaning of habit and of drill with re- 
spect to correct speech, both from the standpoint of grammatical 
construction, enunciation, and pronunciation, and w4th respect to 
cleanliness upon the part of pupils. Excellent work in drill exer- 
cises seems, to the members of the commission, to be easily within 
the reach of the large majority of the members of the teaching 
corps. 

Effect of the Examination System. — The examination system 
which has prevailed in the city and in the state has, it seems to 



46 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

the members of the commission, interfered greatly with the devel- 
opment of the right sort of thinking on the part of pupils. The 
overwhelming demand of the examinations for facts, rather than 
for the power to think clearly, has led teachers to insist upon the 
memorization of the information given in the books. Possibly the 
greatest need of the school system, from the standpoint of instruc- 
tion, is to be found in a change in the nature of the examinations 
and in the work of the teachers which will result in an emphasis 
upon thinking, rather than remembering. Children in the school 
system need more and more to have problems proposed for their 
solution. They ought to be taught how to gather information, 
and how tO' organize and interpret the facts which they find with 
relation to the problems they seek to solve. They should be 
taught to invoke principles which they have established, as a result 
of their own thinking, in order to explain the conclusions or be- 
liefs which they hold. The habit of verification by reference to 
life situations, rather than the appeal to authority, should be 
inculcated. In all of this work children need more and more to 
be permitted and encouraged to take the initiative, to accept re- 
sponsibility for conclusicns, and to be willing to defend the posi- 
tion which they take in the discussions which should be common 
in the class-room. Teachers need to learn to keep themselves 
more and more in the background, — they should guide and direct, 
rather than dominate and control the thinking of children. To 
stimulate thought upon the part of children requires a maximum 
of teaching skill. Many of the teachers in the school system could 
be expected to do much stronger work in this field had they had 
better professional training, or should such training be provided 
for them. 

More Teaching for Appreciation Needed. — Stronger work 
can be done, in those lessons involving appreciation, if teachers 
will feel the importance of their own emotional responses to the 
poetry or music or other art form involved. There is not much 
gain — and indeed, there may be much loss — in requiring children 
to commit to memory a poem or to sing a song, if the teacher 
has not entered into the spirit of the situation herself, or has 
failed to interpret adequately for the children. Much of the 
reciting of poetry which members of the commission observed 
seemed to lack careful thought analysis, and appreciation of the 
emotion the author sought to portray. Children were too fre- 
quently merely repeating words, as rapidly as possible, rather 
than giving expression to the thought and feeling expressed by 
the poem. There was, in the judgment of the commission, too 
little attempt upon the part of children to create in the fields of 
literature, art, and music. In our best school systems, today, 
children write poetry, express thought and feeling with the pencil 
or brush, and even write music which they sing to the song 
which they have composed. Of course, these exercises result in 
chil-'lish productions, but nevertheless products which are tre- 
mendouslv worth while, from the standpoint of growth and 



THE QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION 47 

pov/er of appreciation. Some of the teachers in the school system 
are aiready trying^ to get results of the kind indicated above. 
Alany more of them may be expected to develop strength in this 
kind of work under careful supervision, and by reason of the 
stimuli which may come from further professional training. 

There seemed to be little appreciation, upon the part of 
teachers, of the meaning of independent work or of teaching chil- 
dren to study. This again is due, we believe, to the very great 
dependence which has been placed upon remembering the text- 
book in order to pass examinations. If more emphasis were 
placed in the school system upon thinking, and less upon remem- 
bering facts, teachers would inevitably be brought to a considera- 
tion of the necessity of teaching children how to work inde- 
pendently. 

Most of the teachers of the school system have children 
recite to them, and occupy the position of final authority in mat- 
ters intellectual and with reference to discipline. In some rooms 
the desire to have children work with and for each other was ob- 
served. One member of the commission reported a class in which 
the teacher had cut up some old reading books, and mounted 
the several stories on cardboard. In this room the children read 
their stories to the whole group. The reading was most excellent, 
and the reason, we believe, was to be found in the desire of the 
children to read their story so that others could understand and 
enjo}^ it. 

Pupils seldom asked Cjuestions, and there was almost no 
discussion in the class-rooms visited. In most cases, the children 
sat at their seats, or stood in line, reciting to the teacher and not 
to each other. To get the right type of social development in the 
schools will require a shift of emphasis away from the demand 
for results in mere knowledge, over to an insistence upon clear 
thinking as the most desirable end to be obtained. 

Summary. — In summarizing the quality of instruction in the 
schools of Butte the commission washes to go on record as be- 
lieving that the teachers have as yet, only in a slight degree, 
realized their full power. We believe that the present teaching 
corps could become very much more efficient, if professional 
training were required, and provided by the school system. We 
are not unmindful of the excellent work which is now being 
done by some of the teachers, but we believe that the general level 
of work done could be very materially improved. We particularly 
desire to call attention to the need for better professional train- 
ing, on the part of the principals of the schools, with reference to 
their particular duties. We believe that the schools are especially 
weak with respect to independent thought upon the part of pupils ; 
that there is n^ed for better appreciation upon the part of teachers, 
and a command of technique by them, which will result in develop- 
ing greater power of thought and larger appreciation of those 
things which are most worth while upon the part of children. 



48 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

We are confident that the results which all desire in education 
cannot be achieved without more appreciation on the part of the 
teachers of the necessity for co-operative endeavor and discussion 
upon the part of pupils. We confidently believe that the mem- 
bers of the teaching- profession in Butte are not ignorant of the 
need for development along the lines that we have indicated, and 
we anticipate that they will be only too glad to do their share 
toward developing that strength in giving instruction which is 
to make the school system a large contributor to the development 
of social efficiency upon the part of all of the children of Butte. 
We wish, in closing this chapter, to commend especially the action 
of the board of school trustees in bringing an experienced and 
capable primary supervisor into the school system, as we feel 
certain that she can do much to improve the quality of the in- 
struction in the lower grades of the city. 



-THE COURSES OF STUDY 49 

CHAPTER III 

THE COURSES OF STUDY. 

When we pass from an examination of the quality of the 
instruction given to an examination of the courses of study pro- 
vided for the children of Butte, we find in such courses many 
reasons for the defects in the instruction pointed out in the last 
chapter. The courses of instruction provided here do not meet 
the best tests of what such courses should contain ; they are not 
closely related to the present or the future needs of Butte's chil- 
dren ; and they over-emphasize mere information, drill and the 
form.al side of education. 

Nezv Conceptions of Education. — The courses of study pro- 
vided for Butte's children represent essentially an earlier concep- 
tion of education, where drill on the mere fundamentals of knowl- 
edge was conceived to be the essential purpose of public educa- 
tion. To convey to children the accumulated knowledge of the 
past, often with little thought as to its usefulness or the effect of 
the instruction, was for long considered to be the chief work of 
teachers and schools. 

Within recent years, however, a newer and a larger concep- 
tion of the purpose of public education has come, and this newer 
and larger conception has been accepted rapidly and generally by 
our American people. This change in conception has meant much 
for the children in our schools, and has resulted in radical recon- 
structions and reorganizations in the courses of study provided. 
New subjects of instruction have been introduced, new types of 
schools have been provided, and the point of emphasis, both in 
school work and in instruction, has been shifted from mere infor- 
mation and drill to the needs of the child as an individual. In- 
stead of loading children with the accumulated knowledge of the 
past, the purpose in education has come to be, more and more, to 
prepare children for intelligent participation in the social, do- 
mestic, economic, and political life of the futiire, of which they 
will soon form a part. 

A careful examination of the courses of instruction followed 
in Butte, the observation of the instruction given in the schools, 
and the tests made of the work of the children, all alike indicate 
that this newe'r conception of the purpose of education has as yet 
been but dimly conceived by either teachers or school officers 
here. Mere drill, and not infrequently unintelligent and unpro- 
ductive drill, still constitutes the bulk of all instruction offered 
in the elementary schools of the city. 

The Present Courses of Study. — The courses of study fol- 
lowed at present in the schools of Butte, which are a combination 
of outlines issued by the school authorities of School District No. 
I and the printed course of study issued by the Department of 
Public Instruction of the State of Montana, represent rather 
strongly the older conceptions as to the purpose of public educi- 



50 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

tion. The old school "tool-subjects" — reading, writing, spelling, 
arithmetic, and English grammar — constitute the great bulk of 
all instruction now offered in the elementary schools, and but little' 
attempt seems to have been made to relate the instruction which 
is given to the life which surrounds the children. Instruction for 
information and drill, rather than for usefulness in life, seems 
to be the marked characteristics of the courses provided. 

The courses of instruction, too, are outlined in terms of 
pages of particular state-adopted text books, instead of in terms 
of topics and purposes, and in addition offer almost no sugges- 
tions to teachers as to methods of work or results expected. The 
inevitable result is that teachers tend to teach text-books rather 
than children, and instruction combes to be measured in terms of 
accomplishment rather than in terms of personal growth and in- 
creased power. 

Last, but not least in importance, comes the series of cjuar- 
terly written examinations, issued by the central school authorities 
to test the kind of instruction given, and which all children, from 
the third grade up, are expected to take and for which teachers 
continually drill and review. As promotion from grade to grade 
depends rather largely* on the ability of the children to pass these 
quarterly written tests, the tendency is strong to subordinate all 
other educational aims and ends to that of drilling children to 
pass these quarterly examinations. Teachers have in their class- 
rooms sets of the examination questions used in previous exami- 
nations, and an effort is made to prepare the pupils for any ques- 
tons which may be asked. 

Fundamental Needs. — After an examination of the courses 
of study in use, the instruction in the schools, and sets of the 
examination questions used, certain fundamental recommenda- 
tions seem desirable to the members of the survey commission. 
The courses of instruction need a fundamental revision; much 
useless subject matter should be eliminated, and new subject 
matter substituted in its place; the instruction in the schools 
should be redirected and vitalized; the scope of the instruction 
should be materially broadened; and the uniform written exami- 
nations, as a basis for promotion from grade to grade, should be 
abandoned. 

A somewhat more detailed examination of fhe instruction 
provided will seiwe to make these general criticisms clearer. 

I. Elementary School Courses of Study. 
Lack of Kindergartens. — The absence of any form of kinder- 
garten instruction in connection with the schools of Butte, as well 
as the a bsence of the kindergarten spirit in the early primary 

*In calculating the promotional average two-thirds are allowed, nom- 
inally, for daily work, and one-third is based on the quarterly examinations, 
but, as all grades made in all subjects other than the six so-called "standard 
(drill) studies," are excluded in calculating this promotional average, and 
as no grade, below 70 in these "standard studies" will be accepted for passing, 
it will be seen that these written examinations really control the instruction 
given. 



THE COURSES OF STUDY 51 



grades, is a marked defect of the school system found here. The 
large foreign and laboring element found in Butte, and the 
peculiar social problems found here make the need for kinder- 
garten instruction, for the children in all of the schools of the 
city, particularly strong. To make kindergarten instruction 
available for all of the children between four and six years of 
age in the district (small outlying schools excepted), by the es- 
tablishment of a kindergarten class in each school building, is an 
end toward which the school authorities of this district should 
work. The peculiar home conditions found in Butte make kinder- 
garten instruction for the smaller children much more important 
than would be the case in most other cities. Two sessions, one 
in the forenoon and one in the afternoon, and for different 
groups of kindergarten children, could be maintained in all of the 
large school buildings, if the necessities of the case should so de- 
mand, though one session each day probably would at first 
suffice. 

The First School Grade. — In most of the first and second 
grades visited the work seemed too formal and too stiff. This is 
only natural under present conditions, and imder the present 
courses of study. There is too much formal drill, and too little 
attention is given to the constructive and play activities of the 
children. The general introduction of kindergarten classes, the 
carrying over of the kindergarten work and spirit into the work 
of the first grade, the gradual substitution of chairs and movable 
tables for desks in the first two, grades, and the elimination of 
some of the formal and more serious instruction offered in these 
grades would do much to improve the character and the quality 
of the instruction given. 

The Work in Arithmetic. — Approximately one-eighth of the 
child's total school time, during the eight years of his elementary 
school-life in Butte, is devoted to the study of arithmetic, while in 
the four upper grades, one-sixth of the total school time is given 
to this study. This is a large amount of time. An examination 
of the outline of instruction followed in arithmetic, as well as an 
examination of the three arithmetic text-books in use in the 
schools, alike reveal the fact that an enormous amount of time is 
devoted to problems which can never be of any practical im- 
portance to the children now in the Butte schools. Weeks and 
months and even years are devoted to the study and "working" 
of problems of a type such as almost no one in any kind of prac- 
tical life is ever called upon to solve, and which have no value 
whatever, except as busy work and mere drill. Many of the 
problems are mere puzzles, and have no place in proper arith- 
metical training. Few persons in practical life ever have use for 
any mathematical ability beyond that involved in a good knowl- 
edge of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of sim- 
ple whole numbers and fractions, a limited knowledge of decimals 
and percentages, and a few of the more commonly used measures 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



of weight and dimensions. Yet pupils here are spending much 
time in solving problems involving ratio and proportion, the ex- 
traction of roots, the manipulation of rarely-used measures, the 
purchase of stocks and bonds, banking, foreign exchange, inter- 
est, partial payments, taxes, insurance, the measurement of geo- 
metrical solids, and the like. 

That some of the pupils get these problems and enjoy them 
must be admitted, but that to most of the pupils the work is 
largely a w^aste of valuable time is also equally certain. The 
arithmetical tests taken by the members of the commission, and 
to which more detailed reference is made in Chapter IV. of this 
report, showed a surprisingly wide variation in arithmetical abil- 
ity among the different chldren in the different grades tested, 
indicating that the results obtained are in no way uniform or 
commensurate with the efforts expended. 

The arithm.etical work is too heavy, entirely too wide a range 
of vv'ork is attempted, too much of the school time is devoted to 
the subject, and too much mere written arithmetic and too little 
mental arithmetic is required. The commission recommend that 
the work in arithmetic be materially reduced and rearranged, and 
after somewhat the following plan : 

First Grade. — No arithmetic to be taught, except as counting 
or numbers may be incidental to other school work. 

Second Grade. — Very little in the first half, and this quite 
concrete; and not beyond page 48 (counting) of the Elementary 
Arithmetic, during the year. 

Third and Fourth Grades — About as at present. 

Fifth Grade. — Using the Complete Arhlimetic, Part I, and 
through simple fractions,* to page 126. 

Sixth Grade. — Decimal fractions and denominate numbers, 
up to page 214. Omit balance of Part I. 

Seventh Grade. — Complete Arithuietic, Part II, up to page 
76. Omit balance of book.' 

In all grades from third to seventh, materially increase the 
oral work, and require quick daily drills on simple combinations 
of whole numbers and fractions, and simple mental problems 
paralleling the written work. Emphasize reasoning, rather than 
the mere working of problems. 

Eighth Grade. — Introduce a simple course in . home and 
business bookkeeping and accounting. Three days each week 
will be sufficient for this work, or, perhaps better still, five days 
a week for a half year. 

With the eliminations here indcated, much time can be saved 
for more important school work, and the quality of the really 
fundamental arithmetical instruction can at the same time be 
materially improved. 



THE COURSES OF STUDY 53 

Language Work. — This subject is also allotted a large 
amount of time in the Butte schools, its total time allottment be- 
ing the same as that for arithmetic. The city outline for the ^york 
of the first three grades is good, better in fact than the instruc- 
tion seen. From the fourth to the sixth grades the work is based 
on a text book on language usage, and in the seventh and eighth 
grades on a text book in technical grammar. 

Despite the large amount of time given to the subject, the 
work seen, in both oral and written English, was cjuite uniformly 
poor throughout the schools. The children seemed to lack both 
ideas to express, and form for expression. The oral-language 
work seen consisted largely of an attempt to reproduce what the 
children had just read from a book ; it lacked individuality and 
reality ; it often meant little or nothing to the child ; and often it 
was poorly expressed, with poor pronunciation and accentuation. 
It seemed, too, to lack in sincerity and feeling, as though the 
child were expressing words, rather than ideas, and complying 
Vv^ith a task set by the teacher rather than giving expression to 
ideas and feelings he had come to have. This condition extends 
throughout the grades, in practically all of the schools, and even 
up into the high school classes. 

In the written tests given by the different members of the 
survey commission, in the four upper grades of the ten largest 
elementary schools, as explained more in detail in Chapter IV, 
the results obtained were also very poor. The compositions re,- 
vealed the same lack of thinking, power of analysis, and ability 
to express oneself which was so prominent a characteristic of the 
oral work seen. 

That the large number of foreign -born and non-English- 
speaking children found in some of the schools contribute some- 
what to this condition, in the lower grades, may be taken for 
granted, but this fact serves only to accentuate the need for more 
careful and more concrete English instruction here. Other cities 
which have this problem to face meet it squarely, and eliminate 
this difficulty as early as possible in the child's school course. 

The real difficulty lies, rather, in the methods and courses 
of instruction followed' in the Butte schools. The work in 
language is taught entirely too much as a subject by itself, instead 
of being made a natural outgrowth of the other school work. The 
work of the grades throughout, characterized as it is by a lack of 
constructive and concrete work and an over-emphasis on drill and 
book learning, does not offer the child the real experiences neces- 
sary for good English expression. The attempt is made through- 
out the schools to secure expression when the child has little that 
is real and concrete to express. Impression must precede expres- 
sion, and ideas must be given children before the attempt is made 
to force from them sentences expressing ideas. Reproduction of 
what has just been read from a book is too unreal to prove very 
effective as a basis for training in the use of the English tongue. 

The work of the schools of Butte needs to be made more 



54 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



real and concrete, and to be more closely connected with real life 
experiences. The general introduction of the kindergarten, the 
introduction of constructive activities throughout the grades, bet- 
ter recognition of the play activities of children, the provision of 
o-ood work in nature study and elementary science throughout 
the grades, a material reduction in the amount of mere book work 
now required, and an improvement of the teaching methods, as 
outlined in Chapter II, would, in a short time, materially change 
the character of both the oral and written expression of the chil- 
dren in the schools of Butte. 

The text book in language in use in the fifth and sixth grades 
is not a very good one for language study, and should be supple- 
mented by some more suitable book. If a simpler and much 
more concrete book were introduced for use in the fourth and 
fifth grades, and then the state text, Book One; Language, were 
used as a basis for work in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, 
it would be a much better arrangement. The Book Two; Gram- 
mar, should be deferred entirely until the high school period. It 
is a sheer waste of time to attempt to teach the technical material 
which it contains to children of elementary school age, and, in 
addition, a knowledge of the technical grammar it contains is of 
little use to anyone except to a school teacher who may be re- 
quired to teach it. The present emphasis on technical grammar 
in the grades serves largely to defeat the ends for which English 
is supposed to be taught in our schools. Instead, the emphasis 
should be placed on composition and expression, based on feeling 
and real experiences. This feeling and experience must be drawn 
from other sources than the anatomical analysis of the English 
language. 

The course of study in Language needs to be rewritten, 
along the lines here suggested. 

Reading and Literature. — The work in readine" in the first 
grade is well done, and generally so in the second grade. The 
phonic drill in the first two grades seemed to be quite thorough. 
However, though some g'ood beginnings are made in these two 
lower grades, the work seems to fail to get results as the child 
passes on to the upper grades. Drill, rather than use and appli- 
cation, seems early to dominate the work in reading, and, in the 
upper grades, the work soon becomes formal and mechanical, the 
children pronouncing the words rather than reading with ex- 
pression or feeling. Poor position while reading, poor pronuncia- 
tion and enunciation, lack of expression or appreciation, — these 
seemed to be the more common characteristics of the work in 
reading and literature in the middle and the upper grades. The 
idea of formal drill, rather than expressive reading, seems soon 
to dominate the instruction. While much good literature is read, 
the appreciation of good literature seemed almost entirely absent. 
The reading heard, the reciting of the poems learned, and the 
questioning by the teachers, all seemed to fail to bring out the 



THE COURSES OF STUDY 55 

spirit of the selections. In the upper grades it was markedly 
reading drill, rather than literary appreciation. 

There is need of much more attention being given to reading 
method, and means for developing literary appreciation. The for- 
mal drill idea, which so characterizes the work in the Butte 
schools, needs to be subordinated here to that of literary apprecia- 
tion, and the present drill work needs to be changed to a drill 
on articulation and expressive reading. The selections to be 
memorized might be better graded and improved, and their rendi- 
tion made more effective. Good examples of expressive reading, 
too, should be put, from time to time, before the children, and a 
list of choice selections, to be read by the teachers to the classes, 
should be compiled. The supplemental reading could be improved 
by the addition of a number of easy books dealing with historical 
events and containing interesting biographical stories. The pres- 
ent supplemental reading is too exclusvely literary in type. 

Home Reading Books. — The school ought also, as an impor- 
tant part of its work in instruction in reading, to strive to develop 
a taste for good books on the part of the children. In a city of 
the type of Butte this is quite important. The experience of other 
communities has been that, unless this is done before the eighth 
grade is reached, it is seldom possible to do it afterward. The 
work should begin by the time the third grade is reached and 
should continue throughout the grades. To this end the school, 
the public library, or the two combined, should provide a large 
collection of well selected children's books for school use. An 
average of twentyT)ooks to a class-room is not too many, though 
all class-rooms need not be supplied with sets of the same books 
throughout. Some interchange of books between schools would 
be both economical and desirable. 

The greatest danger in providing such books for children is 
that they may be selected by adults, with adult ideas as to what 
children ought to read, and the whole purpose in providing them 
be lost. The advice of the best children's librarians, in cities 
which have made a success of this work, should be sought before 
an}^ purchases are made. When purchased these books should 
b)e placed in the school rooms ; it should be a part of the work of 
the teachers to awaken an interest in them, and to develop a taste 
for good reading; and the loaning of these books to the children 
should be under the control of the class-room teachers. From 
three to four thousand dollars as an initial expenditure, with from 
seven to eight hundred added each year, would prove of great 
service in forming the literary tastes of children in this rom- 
munity, if good selections of books were made. 

History and Civil Government. — In connection with the work 
in reading and literature, reading of a historical nature should 
be introduced much earlier than is now done. Biographical 
stories and historical stories, with strong emphasis on the personal 
•element, as distinct from the event, should be introduced as sup- 



56 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

plemental reading, and as a basis for oral language work of a 
kind which the children will scarcely recognize as such. Birth- 
days of famous men and national holidays should be cele- 
brated, local history should be introduced, and an effort should 
be made to awaken a historical sense in children, so that they 
may gradually come to feel something of the spirit of history. 
The work in the earlier grades should be very concrete, the per- 
sonal story being the important element, but with a gradual shift- 
ing of the story from the hero to the events surrounding the 
hero. The work should be correlated with reading, geography 
and oral language, and the assignment of lessons, the memori- 
zation of texts, and formal drill on facts should be completely 
absent from the work. The work of the teacher is to sympa- 
thetically reinforce the story and to awaken and enrich the mind 
of the child. Of such work the survey commission saw almost 
none in the schools of Butte, and they recommend that, in the 
revision of the courses of study, such work be prominently in- 
troduced into the lower grades, and that the teachers be given 
training to enable them to handle such work properly. 

In the formal work in the teaching of United States History, 
the Mace's Primary History is a good book for fifth A and sixth 
B work, but Gordy's American Beginnings in Europe is too dififi- 
cult, and is unsuited as a book to follow the Mace. If the Gordy 
is to be used at all it should be placed in the eighth-A grade, and 
made to follow, rather than precede, the formal study of United 
States History. The jNIace is even better adapted to sixth grade 
than to fifth.' 

The work in history in the seventh and eighth grades could 
be improved by outlining, in some detail, a course of study based 
upon topics, with reference to a number of texts and supple- 
mental books rather than basing it on pages in a single book. The 
Gordy history could be continued as the basal text book, but 
supplemented largely from other sources. The book contains too 
many unimportant details and unrelated facts, — details and facts 
which no child should be expected to learn, — and many of these 
should be neglected in the study. The awakening of an appre- 
ciation for history and a historical spirit, rather than a continual 
drill on the memorization of facts and dates, should be made 
prominent features of the work. 

Geography. — This, one of the richest and most interesting 
of all studies, seemed to the members of the survev commission 
to be very poorly done in the schools of Butte. No preparation 
of much consequence is made for it in the first two years, through 
nature study and oral language. The work is begun in the third 
grade by formal study from a text-book. Home Geography for 
Primary Grades. The work, as seen, was bookish to a high de- 
gree, and consisted largely of reading and reproducing the words 
of the text book. The book itself contains little that is not given, 
in better form, in the book used in the fourth grade, and its use 
as a text book in geography in the third grade is not recom- 



^___^ THE COURSES OF STUDY 57 

mended. If used at all it should be as a supplemental reader, 
and even then very sparingly. 

Instead, the work in this grade, and in part in the fourth 
grade also, should be oral, concrete, and applied. Bookish 
geography at this stage is little better than no geography at all. 
The course ought to be outlined in some detail, and be in a way 
an outgrowth of the work in nature study in the grade below. 
The common home and outdoor experiences of the children should 
be utilized in the formation of geographic conceptions. The work 
in the later grades should apply the conceptions gained to the 
recognition and interpretation of geographic elements met with 
in the study of the world. 

In a community such as Butte, with its wealth of geographic 
material within sight, there is little excuse for beginning the study 
of home geography from a book. The schools should be sup- 
plied with sand-boards and compasses, sand-board models should 
be made and studied, out-of-door excursions should be taken, 
weather observations should be made and recorded, the immediate 
locality should be studied and mapped, the occupations of people 
should be studied, and talks about industries and articles of food 
should be conducted with the children. A course of study for 
the third grade, based on a good course in nature study in the 
two grades below and adapted to Butte, could be outlined which 
would prove far more profitable than any text-book study can 
ever be, not only in awakening an appreciation for and an under- 
standing of geographical facts, but in developing thinking and 
reasoning and facility in oral expression on the part of the 
children. 

The work of the fourth and fifth grades is well outlined, 
and a good text-book is in the hands of the pupils, but in the 
sixth and seventh grades it is unfortunate that a change has to 
be made to another type of text-book, by another author, instead 
of continuing with the advanced book by the same author. This 
is one of the unfortunate results arising from the adoption of 
uniform text-books for a whole state. If Butte, as a city of the 
first class, could adopt its own text-books, selections better 
adapted to its needs could, in a number of cases, be made. 

The advanced geography in use is too largely physical geog- 
raphy, and in parts too difficult for the grades in which it is used. 
To insure better work a topical course of- study for the upper 
grades should be outlined, and teachers should be supplied with 
copies of the advanced Tarr & McMurray Geography and sets 
of the Dodge Geographies, as well as with more supplemental 
geographical material. All third and fourth grade rooms should 
also be supplied with sand tables, for developmental work, and 
many pictures for geographical teaching should be provided. 

Nature Study and Science Instruction. — It is in natural- 
science instruction that the Butte elementary schools are perhaps 
weakest. Excepting a little weather observation in the first and 
second grades, and work in health and physiology in the upper 



58 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

grades, practically nothing is done. Yet few subjects could be 
introduced which, if well taught, would be of more value to Butte 
children, or which would do more to develop reasoning power 
on the part of the children than a good course, running through- 
out the grades, in the study of natural material and scientific 
phenomena. This should begin with nature study in the lower 
grades, be closely correlated with home geography and hygiene 
in the third and fourth grades, and involve simple studies of 
animals, plants, the stars, health-lessons, and physical phenomena 
in the upper grades. In the study of simple problems in light, 
heat, sound, electricity, magnetism, and geological and chemical 
action, splendid opportunities can be had for developing clear 
thinking and good oral expression, as well as teaching informa- 
tion of large practical value. The survey commission recom- ' 
mends that such work be outlined and gradually introduced into 
each school. 

Spelling. — The work in spelling in the schools is worthy of 
much commendation. As shown by the tests taken, and explained 
at length in Chapter IV, the children of Butte are much above 
the average of other cities tested in their ability to spell. It is 
in such a subject as spelling that the drill, so characteristic of the 
Butte schools, reaches its maximum efficiency. The criticism 
which the commission would offer is that oral spelling is begun 
too early in the grades, and that the drill is made too mechanical. 

Writing. — The Palmer method of penmanship which is used 
in Butte produces very good results when skilfully used. It is 
subject to serious abuse, however, by teachers who do not under- 
stand the principles underlying habit formation. Excellent skill 
in making running ovals and the like may be acquired, without 
the corresponding skill in handwriting. While much very good 
writing is done in Butte, the great difference observed in the 
merit of the writing done in various rooms indicates that there 
is need for the subordination, by many of the teachers, of drill 
exercises to practice in real writing. 

Music. — Some of the music heard was good, though on the 
other hand some of it was poor. It is the judgment of the survey 
commission that much too little is made of music in the Butte 
schools. More time should be given to the work, and more 
musical appreciation should be developed in the children. One 
very important function of music instruction is the development 
of musical appreciation on the part of the children, and to this 
end they should frequently be permitted to hear good examples 
of musical composition, and of a type suited to their years and 
their ability to appreciate. The teachers and principals are to be 
commended for securing phonographs for the schools, but the 
phonographs are supplied with far too few records. The board 
of trustees should now supply each school with a large number 
and a well selected assortment of musical records, and these in- 
struments should then be put into daily use in the class-rooms. 



THE COURSES OF STUDY 59 

Some examples of simple violin and orchestra music should also 
be included in the records. The same care in selecting these rec- 
ords as is recommended above for library books should be exer- 
cised, or many unsuitable records will be obtained. 

If, as probably is the case, there are teachers in certain schools 
who cannot intelligently and appreciatively teach music, the teach- 
ing of music in these schools should be somewhat specialized, and 
some teacher having musical ability should be temporarily ex- 
changed with such teachers for this instruction. In each large 
school, too, glee clubs, choruses, an orchestra, and perhaps a band 
could be organized with advantage, not only to the music work, 
in the schools, but to the advantage of the home life of the 
community as well. A city becomes musical and derives the many 
advantages arising from good music only when its children are 
provided with the necessary opportunities for developing their 
native love of music. 

Drawing. — The drawing in the schools shows that the super- 
visor of drawing has made an earnest effort to develop the sub- 
ject. The work examined was good average school work, but it 
showed much of the same lack of originality and power of ex- 
pression which characterizes much of the other work found in 
the schools. Until the teachers in Butte can have had some pro- 
fessional training for their work it is perhaps too much to expect 
any important improvement in the work of drawing in the 
schools. 

Play and Physical Training. — Seldom have the members of 
the survey commfssion examined a school system where so little 
account was taken of the play activities and physical training of 
the children. The physical welfare of children is dealt with more 
at length in another chapter (Chapter VI), and the need of better 
playgrounds is pointed out in Chapter IX. At this point the 
survey commission desires only to recommend that more attention 
be given, in the course of study, to proper physical exercise and 
the development of the play activities of the children. 

II. — Manual and Household Instruction in the Ele- 
mentary Schools. 

Strong Points. — The work in manual training in the ele- 
mentary schools of Butte is to be commended in the following 
particulars : 

1. Quality of workmanship. So far as it goes, the quality 
of the work done is better than that in a number of cities as large, 
or larger than, Butte. 

2. The teaching staff. The teachers are well prepared for 
the work, and are making intelligent and efficient use of the 
facilities afforded them. 

3. Equipment. The equipment is for the most part of good 
quality, and well adapted for the kind of work undertaken. 



60 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

Needs. — This department needs to be strengthened, however, 
in the following particulars : 

1 . Increase in time allotment for the work. 

2. Extension of the work throughout all the grades. 

3. Introduction of new lines of work. 

4. Additional centers and equipment. 

5. Emphasis on content value and the thought element in 
the work in manual arts. 

6. New type of supervision. 

7. Household arts for the girls. 

Time Allotment. — The most serious need to be met in the 
development of an adequate scheme of handwork for the ele- 
mentary schools of Butte is a material increase in the amount of 
time set aside for this purpose. The revision of the courses of 
time study suggested in the preceding page, and the elimination 
there recommended, will make the necessary increase possible. 
The minimum amount of time should be one-half day per week 
through the first six years, and two half-days per week in the 
seventh and eighth years, with a flexible arrangement which will 
permit a principal to organize special classes; particularly for 
backward children, in which from one-fourth to one-third of the 
pupils' school time may be devoted to drawing and shopwork 
of various kinds. 

Extension of the Handzvork. — The second important need of 
the schools is the extension of the work in the manual arts down 
through the grades. 

The introduction of kindergartens, as suggested elsewhere 
by the commission, will lay the foundation for the development 
of a comprehensive scheme of handiwork. This should be fol- 
lowed through the first four grades by a number of simple lines 
of handiwork, in which boys and girls will receive <5iibstantially 
the same instruction. From the fifth grade on, differentiation 
between the work of boys and girls should be sought, with the 
aim of meeting the special needs of each. 

Nezv Lines of Work. — A substantial increase in the time 
allotment, and the extension of the department throughout the 
grades, will make possible the introduction of several new lines 
of work and the enrichment of those that are now offered. 

The work in the first four grades should involve a consider- 
able variety of materials and processes, adapted to the require- 
ments of the course of study as finally developed, and to the 
particular needs of the children of this community. These lines 
of work should include paper and cardboard work, textiles, 
basketry, weaving, and drawing. For the fifth and sixth years 
there should be provided, in addition to the knifework and coping- 
saw work now in the schools, opportunities for boys for work 
in elementary bookbinding, printing, and work in clay, cement, 
and plaster. 



THE COURSES OF STUDY 61 

In the seventh and eighth years the boys should carry still 
further the work in printing and bookbinding, and there should 
be added problems in copper, brass, leather, and benchwork in 
wood. The woodwork might well include some simple framing 
and carpentering, and all of the work should be made as practical 
as is possible. 

Additional Centers and Equipment. — The survey commission 
is of the opinion that the provision of a manual training center 
for each large elementary school in the district would be a wise 
expenditure of funds. For each of the schools having eight 
grades such a center should ultimately provide facilities for all 
of the lines of work which have been suggested, while the centers 
for those schools having less than eight grades may have some- 
what less complete equipment. 

The shop for the boys' work should present an appearance 
somewhat different from that of the usual shop center. Its func- 
tion should be that of a laboratory in which real problems may 
be considered and solved, rather than as a place for instruction 
in the making of a formal set of models. The equipment should 
include perhaps a half-dozen woodworking benches, a few 
benches for simple metalwork, a small printing plant, the neces- 
sary tools and appliances for bookbinding, and equipment for V\^ork 
in clay, cement, and leather, and for freehand and mechanical 
dravv^ing. 

The Thought Side of Manual Training. — In the suggestions 
herein made as to the extension of the work in manual training, 
the members of the survey commission have in mind something 
quite different from the simple addition of mechanical processes 
and manipulative technic. It would be better not to disturb the 
existing conditions than to greatly increase the amount of time 
devoted to handwork, if it is to mean simply the introduction of 
formal courses of models or exercises in the various lines of work. 
Too often the problem as it confronts the boy or girl has been 
analyzed by the teacher, for purposes of logical presentation, to 
the point of extracting all the elements involving thought or 
initiative. This is the path of least resistance, and "courses" of 
models are its natural result. 

The ideal of a series of problems which must be attacked 
and solved by the pupils, even formulated by them wherever pos- 
sible, is one difficult of attainment under the limitations imposed 
by program routine ; nevertheless, it is an ideal toward which 
public school work in the manual arts is undoubtedly tending. It 
requires no discussion to show that work of this type means the 
maximum of interest and profit for both pupil and teacher. 

Supervision Needed. — The introduction of the various lines 
of work suggested will require considerable special preparation 
on the part of the regular grade teachers, as well as on the part 
of the shop teachers. For this reason the new lines of work must 
be introduced gradually. Provision must be also made for a new 



62 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

type of supervision, which for a time at least will take the form 
of training the teachers in the methods and purposes of the work. 
To secure satisfactory results the teachers should have a certain 
amount of time designated for the purpose of this special prepa- 
ration, and the supervisors should have the assistance of practical 
mechanics in the various lines of work for such periods of time 
as may be necessary. 

Household Arts for Girls. — One of the most serious defects 
in the public school system of Butte, in the opinion of the survey 
commission, is the failure to make any adequate provision for 
training girls in the household arts. Only sewing in the sixth, 
seventh, and eighth grades is now offered. By its negligent 
attitude in this matter, the public schools of Butte are neglecting 
one of the most important and most alluring opportunities to in- 
fluence favorably the life of this community. 

The work in cooking, sewing, and the elements of home-care 
and home-management should begin not later than the fifth 
grade, and should be carried through the eighth. The attempt 
should be made to deal specifically with just such practical prob- 
lems as the girls of this community are obliged to meet in their 
own homes. The school cannot deal with problems that are more 
important than the management of the family income, the care 
of the home, the preparation and serving of food, the making 
and care of clothing, home-sanitation and hygiene, and the care 
of infants and children. There can be no question that the foun- 
dations of this work, if it is to effect the community life, must be 
laid in the elementary schools. 

Household Art Centers. — At first thought there may be some 
objection to the recommendation of the commission with reference 
to special provision for girls' work, because of the lack of room 
in the present school buildings. This lack of room, however, may 
prove to be an advantage rather than otherwise, as the board of 
school trustees may be obliged to look elsewhere for accommoda- 
tions. The recommendations for a central intermediate school, 
made in this chapter and in Chapter IX, if carried out, would also 
solve the problem by freeing two or three rooms in each large 
building, one of which could then be used for the purpose. 

One of the most promising solutions of the problem of a 
center for girls' work is that of renting or buying a small cottage 
or apartment in the neighborhood of a number of the larger 
schools, these to be utilized as household-arts laboratories.* 
By this plan the work of the girls is carried on under conditions 
that correspond much more closely to those of the home, to which 
it all relates, than can possibly be the case in the school laboratory, 
and, in addition, there are encountered the numerous practical 
problems in furnishing, decorating, and repairing in the solution 

*The details of this plan have been carefully worked out by Mrs. Ada 
Wilson Trowbridge, director of girls' work in the public schools of Provi- 
3ence, R. I., in "The Home School"; Boston, Houghton-Mifflin Co., The 
Rirerside Monograph Series, 1913. 



THE COURSES OF STUDY 



of which the boys of the shopwork classes can co-operate. It is 
difficult to overestimate the extent of the influence which the 
school may exert in the community through such an approach to 
the real problems of homemaking. 

III.— INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS. 

Possible Reorganisations. — All that has been said so far with 
reference to the courses of study in the elementary schools has 
been said on the assumption that the present scheme of organiza- 
tion of the schools, viz., eight years of elementary school, taught 
by grade teachers, and four years of high school, taught by 
specialized teachers, is to be continued unchanged. If the schools 
were reorganized, however, as recommended in Chapter IX, into 
six years of elementary school, three years of intermediate school, 
and three years of high school, as has been done in many com- 
munities, the intermediate schools to comprise the seventh, eighth 
and ninth grades and to be taught by departmental methods and 
by specially-trained teachers, a much better rearrangement of the 
school work and much stronger courses of study could be pro- 
vided. This plan is outlined at some length in Chapter IX on 
the School Plant and Equipment; at this point the survey com- 
mission desires only to point out the educational advantages of 
the plan. 

At present all children in Butte are carried along to the age 
of fourteen or fifteen, that is through the eighth grade, by 
means of the same plan of instruction, viz., the grade-teacher 
system. Each teacher teaches all of the subjects of the grade, 
something which, in the two highest grades at least, very few 
teachers are able to do with any degree of satisfaction. The pres- 
ent courses of study, too, seem to have been framed on the assump- 
tion that the same kind of training is equally satisfactory for all 
classes of children. The. idea that it is a part of the business of 
the public school to study and provide for differing capacities in 
children seems never to have taken root here. The attempt, in 
many of our school systems, of teachers to teach everything in 
the upper grades, and to put all children through a uniform 
course of instruction, is the chief reason why the least effective 
school instruction so frequently is found in these upper ele- 
mentar}' school grades. 

. Educational Differences. — Of the gradual differentiation in 
'tastes, capacities, and future needs and possibilities of children, 
which is gradually taking place, the grade-teacher system in the 
upper grades takes but little account. After the sixth grade the 
indications of differing educational needs begin rapidly to mani- 
fest themselves, and call for a differentiation in instruction and 
a change in the character and methods of teaching if the best 
educational results are to be obtained. Instead of uniform courses 
for all children in the school, different courses, somewhat similar 
to be sure, ought to be offered to test out tastes and capacities and 



64 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

to meet the different educational needs of different types of boys 
and girls in the schools, and more specialized methods in instruc- 
tion should now be employed. 

TJie Intcrinediate School. — These changing needs the inter- 
mediate school attempts to meet, b}^ creating a school which is, 
as its name signifies, intermediate both in position and in the 
character of its instruction between the elementary grade-school 
on the one hand and the specialized high school on the other. In 
addition to a ver}^ material improvement in the quality of instruc- 
tion in the seventh and eighth grades, it provides better courses 
of instruction for the children in these grades, makes easier the 
transition to the secondary school, and materially reduces the 
heavy mortality which so commonly occurs in the first year of 
the ordinary high school. The present radical change in the 
character of instruction between the elementary school and the 
high school, which occurs now at the age of fourteen or fifteen, 
is both wasteful and artificial. The change should be made more 
gradually, and the time for the change to begin is when the child 
is passing from childhood into youth, which is at the beginning 
of the period of adolescence. This, however, is at the age of 
twelve or thirteen, rather than at fourteen or fifteen. The transi- 
tion at present is both delayed and abrupt, whereas, by the inser- 
tion of the intermediate school in betv/een the elementary school 
and the high school, the change is made easier and more gradual, 
and with much better educational results. 

The great argument for the intermediate school, however, 
lies rather in the resulting improvement in the cjuality of instruc- 
tion and in the adaptations to individual capacities and needs 
which results from the provision of intermediate-school training. 
It offers to pupils the advantages of departmental work ; it offers 
the possibility of options, in the matter of both studies and 
courses of study ; it permits of the adaptation of instruction to 
the needs of the two sexes ; it tend* to postpone for a year the 
age of leaving school ; and it offers opportunities for the develop- 
ment of a type of vocational work not possible under the present 
plan of grade-school organization. 

Possible Courses. — To illustrate the possibilities of the inter- 
mediate school, and to show better its advantages over the grade 
school as an educational institution, we give the outline of two 
possible courses of study which would be adapted to the needs 
of the children in the Butte schools. 



THE COURSES OF STUDY 



65 



INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL COURSES. 
I. — ^General Course. 
(Intended primarily for those intending to go to high school, 
and to enter the classical or scientific courses). 

Seventh Grade. 



Periods 
Per Week 



Required Subjects, 

English Literature and 

Composition 5 

U. S. Histor_y v, 

Descriptive Geography 5 

Arithmetic 5 

Physical Training 2 

Drawing 2 

Music 2 

Girls, Cooking 2 

Girls, Sewing 2 

Boys, Manual Training 4 



Periods 
Per Week 



Elective Subjects. 

Select one of the following: 

Latin 5 

German 5 

Spanish 5 

Bookkeeping- and Business 
Arithmetic 5 



Eidith Grade. 



Periods 
Per Week 



Required Subjects. 

English Literature and 

Composition 5 

United States History and 

Civics 5 

General Science 3 

Physiology and Hygiene 2 

Drawing 3 

Music 2 

Physical Training i 

Girls, Cooking 2 

Girls, Sewing 2 

Boys, Manual Training 4 



Elective Subjects. pf^' welk 
Select one of the following : 

Latin 5 

German 5 

Spanish 5 

Bookkeeping and Business 

Arithmetic 5 

Mathematics 

Elementary Algebra, 8 B 5 

Constructive Geometry, 8 A... 5 



JSi inih Grade. 



Required Subjects. pfi^'^^week 
English Literature and 

Composition q 

Physical Geography.. 



Elective Subjects. 



Periods 
Per Week 

Select two of the following: 

Latin 5 

German 5 



Music or Oral English 2 Spanish c 

Physical Training i (Two languages "only "by 

special permission). 
Algebra 



Ancient History 5 

Drawing — Freehand or 

Mechanical 5 

Girls, Cooking or Sewing 4 

Boys, Woodwork 4 



66 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



2. — Vocational Course. 

(Intended primarily for those not intending to go to high 

sch ool). 

Seventh Year. 



Required Subjects. Perwefk E,lective Subjects. pfi^welk 

Same as General Course. Select one of the following: 

German 5 

Spanish 5 

Bookkeeping and Business 
Arithmetic 5 

Eighth Year. 



Required Subjects. pei^'^week 
English Literature and 

Composition 5 

United States History and" 

Civics 5 

General Science 3 

Physiology and Hygiene 2 

Physical Training i 

Girls — Freehand Drawing 5 

Girls — Cooking and Sewing... 10 
Boys — Mechanical Drawing 5 
Boys — Manual Training 10 



Elective Subjects. pfi^^week 
Select one of the following : 

German 5 

Spanish 5 

Bookkeepmg" and Business 

Arithmetic _ 5 

Mathematics 

Elementary Algebra, 8 B 5 

Constructive Geometry, 8 A 5 
Music 2 



Ninth Year. 

Required Subjects. pfr^ week Elective Subjects. Pei^ week 
English Literature and Select three of the following : 

Composition 5 German 5 

Physical Training i Spanish 5 

General World History 5 

Physical Geography _ 5 

Music or Oral English 2 

Girls — 

Freehand Drawing 5 

Cooking or Sewing 5 

Elementary Chemistry 5 

Boys — 

Mechanical Drawing 5 

Elementary Physics 5 

Manual Training 5 

Both— 

Stenography 5 

Typewriting 5 

Business Practice 5 



^ THE COURSES OF STUDY q_ 

In addition to providing instruction better suited to indi- 
vidual needs, as these have manifested themselves before enter- 
ing and during' the intermediate period, the different courses 
serve also to test the tastes and interests and to bring out the 
possible capacity of the different pupils, so that, when the high 
school is reached, it will be possible to determine intelligently, 
instead of by the present haphazard method, what line of interest 
the pupil would best attempt in the high school or whether the 
pupil should attempt a high school course at all. At the same 
time the differences in the intermediate-school courses are not 
so marked but that a pupil may change his or her course both 
during and at the close of the intermediate-school period. 

Difficulties in Inaugurating the Plan. — The intermediate- 
school plan, notwithstanding its many important educational ad- 
vantages, is not easy to inaugurate. In the first place, the ordi- 
nary grade teacher and the ordinary elementary-school principal 
are usually not prepared to successfully inaugurate such a new 
school. Teachers for such work should have at least partial 
college or university training, and some teaching experience ; be- 
sides, they should also have broad human interests and large 
human sympathies. If the plan were inaugurated in Butte, such 
of the present corps of teachers as are selected for the work 
should be given an opportunity and be expected to make proper 
preparation for such instruction by summer study or college 
work. 

In the third place, there would be some objection, at first, 
from parents whose children would have to travel a longer dis- 
tance to a central school. For the children coming from the 
more distant schools the board of trustees probably ought to pro- 
vide transportation. Finally, the plan would cost somewhat more 
than the present arrangements. The cheapest kind of a school is 
a poor school ; improvements in education always cost more 
money. The increased efficiency, though, of the reorganized 
school would more than compensate for the increased expen- 
diture. 

In Chapter IX, on the School Plant and Equipment, the 
survey commission goes more into detail as to the location of a 
central intermediate school, and to that section the reader is 
referred for more detailed information as to the plan. 

IV.— THE HIGH SCHOOL. 

The different members of the survey commission visited a 
number of the classes in the high school, and examined into its 
equipment and work. The high school as an institution im- 
pressed the different members as a very good school, but some- 
what of the traditional type. The teachers seemed to be well 
prepared, and, with minor exceptions, to be doing a very satis- 
factory grade of work. Due in part to the better education and 
training of the teachers, and in part to the somewhat superior 



68 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

class of pupils who remain in school through the high school 
period, the work in the high school impressed all of the members 
of the survey commission as much the best thing, educationally, 
which they saw in Butte. 

The work in the different subjects of instruction seemed to 
be well organized and presented, and in most of the subjects of 
instruction a reasonably satisfactory teaching equipment has been 
provided. The library facilities are totally inadequate, and the 
possibilities for scientific instruction in this community, especially 
in physiography and geology, have not been utilized. The tech- 
nical work of the school — manual work, domestic training, and 
commercial work — seemed to be in a very satisfactory condition. 
The equipment is adequate for the work now undertaken, and 
the courses of instruction seemed to be as well adapted to the 
needs of the pupils as conditions will at present permit. Each of 
these technical departments seemed to be awake to the necessity 
of a constant study of the needs of boys and girls in Butte, but 
the statistics presented in Chapter I would indicate (Table 12) 
that, for some reason, the technical work has not as yet made a 
very strong appeal to the pupils in the school. 

The general criticism which the survey commission would 
pass upon the high school work is that it is too limited in scope, 
though any material expansion of the work of the school is 
almost impossible in the present already-overcrowded building. 
As is pointed out in Chapter IX, on Buildings and Equipment, 
the present high school building is so poorly adapted to the 
needs of a modern high school that it would be a wise policy to 
turn the building into a central intermediate school, for the entire 
city, and to build a new high school, large enough to permit of 
the proper expansion of the high school work. A large centrally- 
located high school, built on a full block of land instead of on a 
corner, and with good laboratories, a gymnasium, and an assem- 
bly hall attached, could easily be made the most important insti- 
tution in this city for the education of the v/hole people. 

In such a building many day and evening technical courses 
could be developed which would be of inestimable value to the 
working classes of Butte ; the work of the high school in literary 
and historical lines could be improved ; and the science courses 
in the school could be materiallv expanded and strengthened. 
With a well-organized intermediate school beneath the high 
school, and a larger and better equipped high school organiza- 
tion, this school could, in a short time, exert a community influ- 
ence which, for the present high school, will never be possible. 
A dav-school attendance of 1500 students, and an evening-school 
attendance of 2,000 youth and adults, is not too much to expect 
for such a school. With day and evening classes, a good audi- 
torium for public meetings and lectures, good laboratories, a 
good working library, and a good gymnasium, such a high school 
could profoundly influence the home life, the spiritual life, the 
commercial and industrial life, the trades and occupations, and 
tlie intellectual and civic future of Butte. 



_^ THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PUPILS 69 

CHAPTER IV 

THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PUPILS. 

Methods of Measuring School Achievement. — The surest 
means of evaluating any element of the work of a school system 
is by measuring the results secured. The survey commission, 
therefore, sought to measure the achievements of the children 
in the Butte schools in spelling, composition, handwriting, and 
the fundamental operations in arithmetic, as a means of verifying 
and supplementing their observations of the subject matter and 
methods of instruction followed in the schools. By using 
standardized tests and scales for these measurements it was possi- 
ble to make comparisons of the achievements of the pu.pils in 
Butte with those in other cities. It was possible, also, to deter- 
mine the amount of progress being made from grade to grade 
in the schools of Butte, and the range of ability represented by 
the members of a given class. It was, of course, impossible to 
test all of the pupils in the city, but in the case of each of the 
subjects a sufficiently, large sampling of children from the sev- 
eral grades was tested to make the conclusions valid for the 
city as a whole. 

I. — Spelling. 

The Spelling Tests. — It is not easy to determine just what 
words ought to be taught to children. One thing is certain : The 
list of words should be limited, as far as possible, to those words 
which the children will be called upon to use in their written 
language. Until- such lists are derived, we should at least avoid 
all uncommon words in the spelling lessons. In line with this 
notion, the survey commission used as a test in spelling, ten 
words for each grade, from the second to the eighth inclusive, 
chosen from a list of one thousand words most commonly used 
in English writing. All of the words were within the common 
understanding of the children, and familiar enough to appear 
in the written work of pupils of the respective ages. The lists of 
words used were derived by Dr. Leonard P. Ayres, of the Russell 
Sage Foundation, and used with his courteous permission. The 
method by v/hich the ten words for each grade were selected 
from the long list was as follows : Under the direction of Dr. 
Ayers the long list of words were given throughout the grades 
of twenty-two city school systems. Naturally, certain words 
were found which approximately 70 per cent of the children of 
a given grade were able to spell correctly. For example, the 
word "foot" was spelled by 70 per cent of second grade children, 
and missed by 30 per cent. Dr. Ayres selected ten such words 
for each grade. Thus the average rating on each word which 
appears in the lists below, was 70 per cent for the twenty-two 
cities, as judged by the ten words finally selected, was 70. 
The standing of any school system in spelling may fairly be 
judged, in comparison with these twenty-two cities, by how much 
its several grades stand above or below 70 on the average. 



70 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



The Word Lists Used. — The following- words, selected as 
indicated above, were pronounced by the respective teachers to 
seven or eiarht classes in each of the o^rades : 



Second 


Third 


Fourth 


Fifth 


Grade. 


Grade. 


Grade. 


Grade. 


foot 


fill 


forty 


several 


get 


point 


rate 


leaving 


for 


state 


children 


publish 


horse 


ready 


prison 


o'clock 


out 


almost 


title 


runnmg 


well 


high 


getting 


known 


name 


event 


need 


secure 


room 


done 


throw 


wait 


left 


pass 


feel 


manner 


with 


Tuesday 


speak 


flight 



Sixth 


Seventh 


Eighth 


Grade. 


Grade 


Grade 


decide 


district 


organization 


general 


consideration 


tariff 


manner 


athletic 


enaergency 


too 


distinguish 


corporation 


automobile 


evidence 


convenience 


victim 


amendment 


receipt 


hospital 


liquor 


cordially 


neither 


experience 


discussion 


toward 


receive 


appreciation 


business 


conference 


decision 



Scoring of Papers. — After these words were pronounced, 
and any explanation given by the teacher necessary for their 
proper understanding by the children, the papers were collected 
and the misspelled words were marked by the teacher. The 
markings were checked by members of the commission. The 
standings of the several classes were then determined by taking 
the average of the standings of the pupils in any sriven room. 
These average room standings are given in table 14. 



THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PUPILS 



71 



TABLE 14. 

Standings of the Several Grades in Spelling Arranged 

BY Schools. 



Schools by Numbers, 



Grade 2.. 
Grade 3.. 
Grade 4.. 
Grade 5.. 
Grade 6.. 
Grade 7.. 
Grade 8.., 



10 I Av. 



Average 



89 
72 
75 
77 
66 

75 
84 



79 
86 

72 
76 



73 
77 
87 
80 

74 
80 
82 



80 



78 
84 
77 
78 



79 
86 
81 
73 



77 
76 



98 
75 
73 
91 
73 
74 
91 



89 
80 

78 
88 
82 

78 
82 



86 
82 



93 



84 



80 



86.2 
81.8 
78.7 
84-5 
75-0 
76.2 
89.4 



76.5 78.4 



78.5 



79.1 



79.1 



81.0 



81.2 82.8 



80.3 



The ten schools in which the tests were given are designated 
in the table by numbers*. The average of all the pupils tested in 
any building is given at the foot of the column for that school, 
while the average of all the pupils of a given grade tested in the 
city is given at the right of the table. 

The Results. — From this table it will be observed that in 
every room, except one, the children averaged considerably above 
the standing of 70. This fact is clearly brought out in the graph- 
ical representation of this table in Figure 6. In this figure the 
upper line represents the average standing of the best class in 
each grade, while the lower line represents the average of the 
weakest class in each grade. The dotted line between shows the 
average for each grade, while the heavy line at 70 represents the 
standing in twenty-two cities. This furnishes evidence of the 
efficient drill work done throughout the system, and supports the 
commendation given to this type of work in the section of this 
report dealing with the quality of instruction. Chapter II. 

While the schools and rooms are high, on the average, a con- 
dition is revealed by closer analysis of the results which should 
have attention. Of the 1504 children tested, 326 spelled every 
word correctly. On the other hand, 278 children made a standing 
of 60 or less. This wide variation in ability to spell raises the 
question whether the drill work in spelling is really being adapted 
to the pupils, or v/hether the drill is not being given to all children 
alike, regardless of whether they are all in equal need of such 
drill. 

*A key by which to determine the school corresponding to any given 
number will be left at the office of the City Superintendent. 

It may be noted that the rooms selected for testing in this, as in other 
subjects, were determined by the order in which the teachers' names appeared 
in the teachers' directory. A uniform method was used by all members of 
the commission, thu-s avoiding anything but a random selection of rooms. 



72 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



Results op Spelling Tests ' 

Percentage of Words Spelled Correctlv 
By Grades 



Percent 
lOD 




/highest ^ 

— Average I 

BUTTE [ 

/Lowesi J 



\ 



Average for 
Schools in 
22 Citiss 



Z 3 



5 6 7 8 Grades 



Fig. 6. Representing the range from the poorest to the best room 
tested in each grade in spelling. For example, the poorest second- 
grade room averaged 7Z, while the best second-grade room averaged 
98. The average for the whole city is represented by the dotted line, 
while the average for 22 cities is represented by the heavy line at 70. 



THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PUPILS TZ 

II. — Composition. 

The Composition Test. — The same children who took the 
spelHng tests (omitting the second and third grades) were asked 
to write Enghsh compositions. The directions for the test were 
given to the children by a member of the survey commission. In 
order to give all children an equal chance to write the best com- 
positions of which they were capable, the members of the com- 
mission agreed beforehand upon the subject to be used, the sort 
of directions to be given, and the amount of time which would 
be allowed. The subject used was : 

"How I would spend one hundred dollars, to please five 
persons, who like different things." 

The subject was chosen because it seemed to provide equal 
play for the imaginative powers of all the children. After the 
subject was written upon the blackboard, the children were al- 
lowed a few minutes to ask any questions. They were told to 
treat the subject in any way they fancied, just so they made an 
interesting story out of it. They were allowed twenty-two min- 
utes in which to write. 

Scoring the Papers. — After the compositions were thus writ- 
ten and collected, each one was stamped with a code number, 
indicating building and grade, and then the whole lot shuffled so 
as to mix thoroughly the papers from the various schools and 
grades. This done, they were ready for scoring. 

The teachers of the city were then called together to mark 
the papers. About one hundred teachers were engaged in rating 
compositions under the direction of a member of the survey com- 
mission. The Hillegas Scale* for measuring the merit of English 
compositions was used as a basis for scoring. This scale con- 
sists of ten compositions printed one below the other in the order 
of their merit. They were selected by Dr. Hillegas from among 
a thousand or more compositions written by young people, be- 
cause in the opinions of a great many competent judges, who read 
all of the thousand compositions, these ten were most nearly of 
equal difference from each other in merit. Thus the scale repre- 
sents ten practically equal steps in merit from the poorest con- 
ceivable composition to a real literary gem. Each teacher was 
given one of these printed scales, and was asked to rate a few of 
the children's compositions by comparing them with the compo- 
sitions appearing on the scale. When they had decided which one 
on the scale most nearly corresponded in general merit with the 
one they were rating, they marked the composition at o, i, 2, 3, 
etc., according to which one of the printed compositions they 
thought it most like. 

The papers were all scored thus by the teachers. Members 
of the commission examined enough of the marks to assure them- 
selves that the scoring was fairly done. The papers were then 
reassemb led into room-groups, and the scores transcribed. 

*Mi!o B. Hillegas, A Scale for the Measurement of Englisli Composition. 
Teachers' College Record, New York, 1912. 



74 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



The Results. — The distributions of the marks given to pupils 
of the various grades are recorded in Table 15. 

TABLE 15. 

Distribution of Composition Scores by Grades. 

Grades. 





4 


5 


6 


7 


8 




Rated at 

Rated at i 

Rated at 2 


3 
79 
66 

30 
3 


I 
46 
86 

49 

18 

I 


31 
67 

65 

35 

23 

6 


2 

17 
63 
84 
68 

19 

7 
2 


I 

9 
32 
39 
43 
22 
6 
2 




Rated at 3 

Rated at 4. 






Rated at 5 

Rated at 6 






Rated at 7 




Rated at 8 




Rated at g. 








Total papers 


181 


201 


227 


262 


154 


1025 




Median score 


^•34 


2.87 


340 


3-75 


4.11 









NOTE. — The true values, statistically determined, of each step 
of the scale, are not exactly represented by the digits at the 
left of the table. The true values are: o, 1.83, 2.60, 3.69, 4.74, 
5.85, 6.75, 7.72, 8.38 and 9.37. 

While there was considerable variation among the classes 
making up each grade-group, this table of totals is essentially 
typical of the performance of each class. It will be observed 
that, of the 181 fourth-grade children tested, 3 wrote papers 
rated at o, 79 wrote papers rated at the first step above o, 66 
wrote papers rated at 2, and so on. The median score, (that 
point in the distribution of marks below which half the papers 
fall, and above which half the papers fall, being practically the 
same as the average) for the fourth-grade group is seen to be 
2.34 on the scale from o to 10. The median scores for each of 
the grades is seen to be : 

Median 
Scores 

Fourth Grade 2.34 

Eifth Grade 2.87 

Sixth Grade 3.40 

Seventh Grade 3-75 

Eighth Grade 4.1 1 

The low scores, as well as the slight gain from grade to grade 
is apparent. 

A very wide range of ability in each grade is revealed in the 
table. One eighth-grade pupil wrote a composition rated at o, 
while two pupils wrote papers rated at 7 on the scale of 10. The 
eighth-grade group range rather evenly over all the steps of the 
scale from i to 6. This wide variation of ability represented in 
each of the grades is clearly brought out in the accompanying 



THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PUPILS 



75 



Results of Composition Tests 
percentage of pupils attaining glvcn s cores 



40 



}Z2ZZsnz2m. 




M 4.11 



8tm Grade 



Tth Grade 



i f ///!\ 



6th Grade 



5th Grade 



4.TH Grade 



I 2 3 456789 



Fig. 7. Representing the percentage of children in the several 
grades who make the given scores in composition. For example, 
1.7% of the fourth-grade children wrote compositions scored at 0; 
43.8% of the fourth-grade children were scored at 1 ; etc. By following 
the median lines, the over-lapping of ability from grade to grade is 
disclosed. 



76 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

figure. There we see that some fourth-grade pupils surpass the 
median ability of eighth-grade pupils, while many eighth-grade 
pupils fall below the median ability of the fourth-grade pupils. 

Typical Compositions Written by Butte Children. — Before 
commenting upon these results it may be well to consider how 
much merit a composition has when rated at the successive steps 
from o to 10. This can best be told by reproducing compositions 
written by the children in Butte, which were rated by the teachers 
at the several points on the scale. In selecting these samples, 
effort was made to secure the ones most typical of the marks 
assigned to them by the teachers. 

Sample i, rated at i. (That is, the first step above o). 

Written by a sixth-grade boy, 14 years old. 

'T would by each person twenty dollars worth the goods, or 
I would give each person twenty dollars, If I would spend the 
one hundred dollars between the five persons, I would buy each 
one a suit of clothes, shoes, stockings. Caps, Over Alls and Jum- 
per." 

Sample 2, rated at 2. 

Written by seventh-grade girl, 13 years old. 

'Tf I had a hundred dollars I would divid it between five 
people. I would give $20 to^ the one who like everything, $5 to 
the one that liked nothing and $10. to on who liked Arithmetic 
and $33 tO' the one for spelling, and $32 for the one who liked 
Geography." 

Sample 3, rated at 3. 

Written by a fifth-grade girl, 12 years old. 

"If I had one hundred dollars, I would take five persons up 
to symons and spend twenty dollars on each person, and they 
could have anything they liked to buy. After they had bought 
what they wanted, I would ask them if they were pleased ? and if 
they said no I would tell them to go back and change the dry- 
goods, that they had bought and buy exactly what they really 
wanted, or needed, and if they were not satisfied then I could 
do no more for them because my hundred dollars would be spent." 

Sample 4, rated at 4. 

Written by an eighth-grade boy, 14 years old. 

"If I had one hundred dollars to spend to please five persons 
I would first kind of figure out what the things a certain five 
persons would like best. 

"First I would buy my cousin what he wished, that is a good 
baseball outfit. It would cost about ten dollars for the playing 
materials such as gloves, bats, etc. Then I would get him a five 
dollar baseball suit and cap to match. He would like a lot of 
candy and fruit and such things so I would spend another five 
for that. 



THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PUPILS 1j_ 

"Second I would by my brother a good fishing- outfit con- 
sisting of a five dollar pole, a one dollar, line, two dollar, reel, 
two dollars worth of hooks, five dollar pair of boots, two dollar 
fishing coat, a dollars worth of leaders and two dollars for a trip 
to some good fishing place. 

"Third I would fit myself out in the same way. 

Fourth I would get my father a morrison chair for ten dol- 
lars, and a smoking jacket for ten more. 

"Fifth as I have no mother I would get my aunt a new hat 
with ten dollars and a new silk dress with the rest of the money." 

Sample 5, rated at 5. 

Written by an eighth-grade girl, 15 years old. 

"There are five little children that live near us who are very 
poor. They seldom have any new clothes and less often any toyes. 

"On Christmas and other days when we children have toys 
these children may be seen looking at us with longing eyes, and 
Easter time they even seem envious. 

"Well I would first buy each child a pair of shoes about 
three and one half dollars. Then I would buy the girls, three of 
them, new dresses. The boys new suits. Which would cost 
about thirty dollar. Of course the girls would have to have hats. 
I would get simple ones but pretty. Then the boj^s must have 
caps " 

Sample 6, rated at 6. 

Written by an eighth-grade girl, 14 years old. 

"If r had one hundred dollars to spend for persons who liked 
different thing, I would spend about one-half of the sum for a 
short camping trip for myself and parents. 

"With the remainder of the money I would buy a few good 
books and other articles I desire. I would use part of the money 
for spending money throughoui the summer, and, if after this, 
there were any of it left I would use it for things I needed at the 
beginning of school." 

Sample 7, rated at 7. 

Written by a seventh-grade girl, 13 years old. 

"I read a pamphlet once upon how to spend money wisely, 
in benefiting other people, so as I have received $100.00 I intend 
to spend it wisely. 

"Yesterday I went to a German family, who were strangers 
here, having just come from Germany, and needed help very 
badly. The mother was a kind motherly looking woman, who I 
know I could depend upon, so giving her a check for $40.00 for 
clothing and food. I departed, leaving their faces shining with 
relief and gratitude. 

"That evening, coming home I met two ragged, but clean 
looking children, one of them crying very bitterly, so stopping 
I asked them what was the matter, the little girl said, "I am 
looking for a doctor.' Then she began crying. I took her and 
and the little bov home with me, which was not verv far awav. 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



and then I told her to tell me all about it. Mother fell down the 
cellar this morning, and broke her arm, she sent me for the 
doctor, but I cant find him, and if I did we wouldn't be able to 
pay for it." 

There were no compositions rated higher than 7 by the 
teachers, even though, on the whole, their marks were liberal. 

Evaluation of the Composition Work. — A study of the table 
giving the ratings upon compositions written by the children of 
Butte, along with an examination of the sample compositions re- 
produced to illustrate the merit of each position on the scale, 
reveals four facts which are worthy of note : 

First, the composition work is formal, rather than free and 
imaginative. 

Second, the marks fall low on the scale, throughout the 
grades. While no standard of achievement has yet been estab- 
lished with which to compare the ratings of the several grades 
in Butte, certain fifth-grade classes in Maryland have been found 
to average 5.15 as compared with 2.87 for the fifth grades in 
Butte. Also, certain seventh-grade classes in Maryland and New 
York City have been found to average 5.75 to more than 7.0 as 
compared with 3.75 for the seventh grade in Butte.* 

Third, there is relatively little growth from one grade to the 
next, the median score being raised less than two points from 
fourth to eighth grade. 

Fourth, the wide variation in ability among the children in 
any one grade raises the question here which was suggested in 
connection with spelling, whether due attention is being given to 
the individual needs of the children, or whether the instruction 
is not being given to all members of the class alike, regardless 
of whether such instruction reaches the children's individual 
needs. 

The marked contrast between the excellent results in spell- 
ing and the results in composition probably means that the formal 
side of instruction is being stressed at the expense of initiative 
and self-expression on the part of the pupils. In no other phase 
of school work is the harmful influence of repressing the child's 
individuality more clearly reflected than in his written language. 
Practice in expressing thoughts which are his oivn, is the only 
way by which a child can develop the power to write and speak 
good English. Repeating from memory facts in geography, his- 
tory, or science, is not closely related to the task of organizing 
one's own thoughts. Even a thorough knowledge of all the rules 
of grammar does not insure the writing of good English. 

III. — Penmanship. 

The Penmanship Tests. — To secure specimens of handwriting- 
by which to judge of the efficiency of the penmanship work done 

*F. J. Kelly, Teachers' Marks, Their Variability and Standardization. 
Teachers' College Contributions to Education; New York, 1914. 



THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PUPILS 79 

in the schools, all of the teachers in the elementary schools above 
the first grade were asked to have the children write, as care- 
fully as they could, a familiar stanza which the teacher wrote on 
the blackboard. Afterwards, the children were to write the same 
stanza over and over again for four minutes, as rapidly as they 
could, "still zvriting well." In the following discussion, only the 
careful writing will be considered, because it appears from an 
examination oi the speed writing specimens that the time limit 
was not carefully observed by some of the teachers. 

The papers were collected and stamped with a code number 
by which to identify the building and grade. About a third of 
the papers from each room were then shuffled so as to mix thor- 
oughly the papers from the various buildings and grades. About 
eighty teachers then scored the papers under the direction of a 
member of the survey commission. 

Scoring the Papers. — The Thorndike Scale* for the measur- 
ing of handwriting was used as a means of scoring the papers. 
This scale consists of reproductions of samples of handwriting, 
ranging in merit from o to i8. At most of the points on the 
scale two or three samples of different styles of writing are re- 
produced. The samples were selected, because in the opinions 
of many competent judges, the differences in merit between the 
samples appearing at the successive steps on the scale are approxi- 
mately equal. When the teacher rating a paper determined to 
which one of the samples on the scale the child's paper most 
nearly corresponded in merit, she marked the paper with the 
score attached to that sample on the scale. Thus the papers were 
all rated between o, which was completely illegible, and i8, which 
was practically perfect handwriting. 

The Results. — In Table i6, given on the next page, are given 
the distributions of the scores made by the pupils of the succes- 
sive grades from second to eighth inclusive. 

*E. L. Thorndike, HaiuhTriting. Te.ichei-s' College Record; March, 1910. 



80 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



TABLE i6. 
The Distributions of Scores in Penmanship by Grades. 

Grades. 



Scores. 



5 



7 



o 

I 

2 

3 
4 

5 
6 

7 
8 

9 

ID 
II 
12 

13 
14 
15 
16 

17 
18 



5 
22 
21 
-29 
28 
42 

7 
29 

5 
7 



2 

2 

21 

44 
86 

41 
8 

13 
2 
2 



3 
16 

24 
42 

55 
20 
21 

15 
2 

3 
I 



3 

3 

12 

56 
61 
16 
17 
15 
6 

4 



2 

I 

20 

25 
9 
32 
44 
17 
10 

9 

10 

6 

3 



3 
15 
29 
II 

25 
12 
19 
16 
6 
12 



3 

7 

15 

I 

23 
21 

9 

9 

15 

17 

3 



Total papers 



196 



221 



202 I 194 I i( 



152 



124 



Median scores. 



5.2 



8.o| 8.8! 8.91 ii.6| 11.2 



12. 1 



It will be observed from this table that the median scores for 
the several grades are as follows : 

Second grade 8.2 

Third grade 8.0 

Fourth grade 8.8 

Fifth grade 8.9 

Sixth grade 11.6 

Seventh grade 11.2 

Eighth grade 12. i 

This indicates a rather singular irregularity in the progress 
made from grade to grade. Of the 3.9 points improvement from 
the second to the eighth grade, 2.7 points are made between the 
fifth and sixth gradesf. There is no certainty, of course, that 
this should not be so. If, however, there is a particular period 
in the development of the child at which habits, such as handwrit- 
ing, can be so much more readily fixed than at other times, then 
drill should be curtailed at other points and concentrated upon 
that period. The problem is so clearly indicated in these results 
that effort should be directed toward its solution by further in- 
vestigation. 

fThis may be partially accounted for by the fact that No. 10 on the scale 
has only one specimen representing that degree of merit, while the steps on 
either side of it have more than one specimen. Therefore, judgments tend to 
bunch up both above and below 10. 



THE ACIIIEVKAIEXTS OF PUPILS 81 

As in spelling and composition, a very wide range of abilities 
in penmanship is found in each grade. This is best represented 
in Fig. 8. Some children in the second grade surpass the ability 
of the median eighth-grade pupil, while some in the eighth grade 
fall below the median second-grade pupil. This variability may 
be accounted for by two facts : 

First, some classes average much better than others in the 
same grade. For example, one second-grade class averaged 5, 
while another second-grade class averaged 11. In the same way 
one eighth-grade class averaged 9 while another eighth-grade 
class averaged 16.. 

Second, the observation of members of the commission while 



82 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



Results of Penmanship Tests 
PeRccNTAfeE OF Pupils Attaining Givbn Scores 



40 



20 8th Grade 



..^..M^TTT^^^ 



M IZ.i| 




— jiu 20 3rq Grade 

^ 



SCORES I 2 3 4- 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 14- 15 le 17 IS 



Fig. 8. Representing the percentage of children in any grade who 
attained each of the given scores in penmanship. For example, of the 
second-grade children, 2.4% wrote papers scored at 4; 11% of the 
second-grade children were scored at 5, etc. Note that the median 
mark for the successive mark changes little at any other point than 
from fifth to sixth grades. 



THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PUPILS 83 

they were visiting the schools did not disclose any case where 
practice in penmanship was limited to those in the class who 
needed it. The children who could write very well were spend- 
ing the same time as the others upon exercises. 

One other feature of the penmanship deserves attention. The 
letters which are formed out of the much practiced oval are nicely 
made by the children, as a rule. The general character of the 
writing, how^ever, reveals a lack of control of letter forms. It 
would seem that, in many cases, practice in writing words and 
sentences as they occur in the regular daily work of the pupils, 
is not given the attention it deserves. The formal drill on muscu- 
lar exercises is over emphasized. This does not mean a condem- 
nation of the muscular exercise drill, but it does mean its subordi- 
nation to the exercises in real writing. 

IV. — Arithmetic. 

The Arithmetic Tests. — As a measure of the achievements of 
the children in arithmetic, the Courtis Standard Tests, (*Series 
B) in the four fundamental operations, and the Stone Reasoning- 
Problems'^*, were used. They w-ere given in two rooms in each 
of ten buildings. The following numbers of classes were thus 
examined, selected at random : 

5 5B classes. 
5 5A classes. 
5 6B classes. 
7 6A classes. 
3 7B classes. 

3 7A classes. 

4 8B classes. 

5 8A classes. 

Following are the lists of examples and problems as they 
were given to the pupils. They w^ere printed on good paper so 
that the children did not have to copy the figures, but simply did 
their work on the sheets which contained the examples. Blank 
paper w^as provided on which to solve the reasoning problems. 
The following time limits were followed exactly in all of the 
rooms : 

For addition, 8 minutes. 

For subtraction, 4 minutes. 

For multiplication, 6 minutes. 

For division, 8 minutes. 

For reasoning, 15 minutes. 

*S. A. Courtis. Standard Tests, 82 Eliot St., Detroit, Mich. 
**C. W. Stone, Arithmetical Abilities and some Factors Determining 
Them. Teachers' College, Columbia "University, 1908. 



84 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 









Addition. 








927 


297 


136 


486 


384 


176 


^77 


837 


379 


925 


340 


765 


477 


783 


445 


882 


756 


473 


988 


524 


881 


697 


682 


959 


837 


983 


386 


140 


266 


200 


594 


603 


924 


315 


353 


812 


679 


366 


481 


118 


no 


661 


904 


466 


241 


851 


778 


781 


854 


794 


547 


355 


796 


535 


849 


756 


965 


177 


192 


834 


850 


323 


157 


222 


344 


124 


439 


567 


733 


229 


953 


525 


537 


664 


634 


572 


226 


351 


428 


862 


695 


278 


168 


253 


880 


788 


975 


159 


471 


345 


717 


948 


663 


705 


450 


383 


913 


921 


142 


529 


819 


174 


194 


451 


564 


787 


449 


936 


779 


426 


666 


938 


932 


646 


453 


223 


123 


649 


742 


433 


559 


433 


924 


358 


338 


755 


295 


599 


106 


464 


659 


676 


996 


140 


187 


172 


228 


449 


432 


122 


303 


246 


281 


152 


677 


223 


186 


275 


432 


634 


547 


588 


464 


878 


478 


521 


876 


327 


197 


256 


234 


682 


927 


854 


571 


327 


685 


719 


718 


399 


516 


939 


917 


394 


678 


524 


838 


904 


923 


582 


749 


807 


456 


969 


293 


353 


553 


566 


495 


169 


393 


761 


423 


419 


216 


936 


250 


491 


525 


113 


955 


756 


669 


472 


833 


885 


240 


449 


519 


3T4 


409 


264 


318 


403 


152 


T22 



I 0779549 I 
77197029 


Subtraction. 
75088824 91500053 
57406394 I 9901 563 


87939983 
72207316 


I 6062097 I 
80361837 


51274387 
25842708 


1 17359208 
36955523 


47222970 
17504943 


-1 1 5364741 
80195261 


67298125 
29346861 


92057352 
42689037 


1 13380936 

42556840 


64547329 
48813139 


121961783 
90492726 


1095 14632 
81268615 


125778972 
30393060 


92971900 
62207032 


104339409 
74835938 

144694835 
74199225 


60472960 
50196521 


119811864 
34379846 


I 37769 I 53 
70176835 


123822790 
40568814 


80836465 
49178036 



THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PUPILS 



85 



8246 
29 

4268 
37 

5368 
95 

6385 
48 

3876 
93 





Multiplication. 




3597 
73 


5739 
85 


2648 
46 



7593 
640 

4792 
84 

8736 
502 

9245 
86 



25)6775 



94)85352 



73)58765 



49)31409 



37) 14467 



86)60372 



68)39508 



49)28420 



28)23548 



54)48708 



6428 

58 


8563 
207 


7942 
72 


3586 
36 


5942 

39 


6837 
680 


7368 
74 


2594 

25 


'ivision 


I. 




37)9990 




68)43520 




94)67774 




52)21112 




39)32760 



9537 
92 

2947 
63 



9742 
59 

4952 
47 

6495 
19 



86)80066 



52)44252 
25)9750 



73)33653 
67)61707 



45)33795 76)57000 93)28458 82)29602 

Reasoning Problems. 

1. If you buy 2 tablets at 7 cents each and a book for 65 
cents, how much change should you receive from a two-dollar bill ? 

2. John sold 4 Saturday Evening Posts at 5 cents each. He 
kept Yi. the money and with the other 5^ he bought Sunday 
papers at 2 cents each. How many did he buy? 

3. If James had 4 times as much money as George, he 
would have $16. How much has George? 

4. How many pencils can you buy for 50 cents at the rate 
of 2 for 5 cents. 

5. The uniforms for a baseball nine cost $2.50 each. The 
shoes cost $2 a pair. What was the total cost of uniforms and 
shoes for the nine? 

6. In the schools of a certain city there are 2,200 pupils ; ^ 
are in the primary grades, ^ in the grammar grades, ^ in the 
high school and the rest in the night school. How many pupils 
are there in the night school? 

7. If 3^ tons of coal cost $21, what will 5^ tons cost? 

8. A news dealer bought some magazines for $1. He sold 



86 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



them for $1.20, gaining 5 cents on each magazine. How many 
magazines were there? 

9. A girl spent /g of her money for car fare, and three times 
as much for clothes. Half of what she had left was 80 cents. 
How much money did she have at first ? 

10. Two girls receive $2.10 for making button-holes. One 
makes 42, the other 28. How shall they divide the money? 

11. Mr. Brown paid one-third of the cost of a building; Mr. 
Johnson paid ^^ the cost. Mr. Johnson received $500 more annual 
rent than Mr. Brown. How much did each receive? 

12. A freight train left Albany for New York at 6 o'clock. 
An express left on the same track at 8 o'clock. It went at the 
rate of 40 miles an hour. At what time of day will it overtake the 
freight train if the freight train stops after it has gone 56 miles ? 

The peculiar virtue of these lists of examples in the funda- 
mentals lies in the fact that they are so devised that, in each ex- 
ample of a given sort, there are an equal number of combinations 
called for, and these include similar assortments of difficult and 
easy combinations. Because of this fact, it is just as much of an 
achievement to work one as it is to work any other one. There- 
fore, the child who works ten has achieved exactly twice as much 
as the child who has worked five. 

In the reasoning problems the same principle holds except 
that, instead of all of the problems being of equal difficulty, an 
assigned value has been worked out experimentally for each one, 
so that it is possible to say how much more credit should attach 
to the correct solution of one than to the sorrect solution of an- 
other. 

This being the case it follows that, if the same time be given 
to the several pupils, the number of examples completed in the 
fundamentals, or the score in reasoning, furnishes a fair basis of 
comparison between the achievement of one child with that of 
another, or one class with that of another. It is not claimed that 
these tests cover all that teachers are expected to teach in arith- 
metic, but it is claimed that successful teaching in arithmetic can- 
not be done without developing skill in the fundamental operatons, 
and ability in the simple every-day forms of reasoning. 

Scoring the Papers. — The marking of the papers in the funda- 
mentals was done, also, by a group of teachers under the direction 
of a member of the survey commission. Printed answer sheets 
were provided each teacher, and every example was checked as 
either right or wrong. No credit was given for an answer which 
was only partially right. The reasoning problems were scored 
by members of the commisson. 

The Results. — In the following tables are given the distribu- 
tions of the number of examples worked correctly by the children 
of the various grades. The B and A classes are combined for each 
group, in order to make the results comparable with the return 
from other cities reporting by grades. 



THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PUPILS 



87 



TABLE 17. 

The distributions of the number of examples correctly fin- 
ished in the given time by pupils in the several grades. 



Addition 






Subtraction 






No. of Exam- 
ples finished. 


5 6 1 7 1 8 


No. of Exam- | 
pies finished. | 5 


6 1 7 1 8 





12 
26 

27 

31 

25 
16 

15 

I 

3 

I 


15 
23 

31 

27 

28 

23 
22 

II 

4 
2 


5 

14 
8 

27 

19 
15 
12 

8 
6 
3 

I 
I 




4 
9 
6 

9 
16 
16 
12 

9 

II 
8 
6 

2 

2 
I 




1 6 

1 1 5 

2 7 


2 

6 

8 

21 

18 

30 
27 
27 
20 

13 
6 
2 
I 
2 
I 


2 

2 

I 

3 

13 
12 

15 
18 

12 

9 
13 
3 
7 
3 
3 
2 
I 








I 


I 


2 




•? 


3 

4- ■ 


13 
21 
26 
17 
IS 
15 
10 
8 
6 

3 

2 

I 


I 


4 


2 


^- 


5 

6 

7 


7 

9 

9 

12 


6 


7 


8 


8 


Q 


Q 


12 


10 

II 

12 


10 

II 

12 


II 
12 

9 

5 
7 
3 
2 
I 
I 


^3 ■' !■ 

14 1 

IS 1 


13 

14 


IC 


16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 




16 ! 

17 ■■ 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 


I 






4 
......2 

I 


Total papers! 1 57 1 186 


119 


Ill 


155 


185I119I111 


Median scoresi 2.QI i.a 


3.8 


5-3 




1 5-5 


S.8I 7.1I 0.8 

















TABLE 18. 

The distributions of the number of examples correctly fin- 
ished in the given time by pupils in the several grades. 



Multiplication 



Division 



pies finished. 
No. of Exam- 



6 I 7 



10 
10 

19 
21 

28 

26 

24 

9 

5 



4 

4 

20 

17 
31 
34 
27 
20 
14 



3 

5 

II 

16 
12 

13 
16 
21 



I 

5 

3 

13 

13 

10 

19 



pies finished. 
No. of Exam- 



17 


7 


I 


19 


17 


2 


18 


22 


8 


21 


26 


6 


25 


27 


8 


21 


27 


II 


9 


15 


12 


10 


1.=^ 


16 


6 


7 


20 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



TABLE 1 8.— Continued. 



Multiplication 



Division 



No. of Exam- 






■ 1 


No. of Exam- 






ples finished. 


5 


6 


7 1 8 1 


ples finished. 


5 


6 


7 ! 8 


Q.. . 


3 


9 


II 


13 


9 


4 


7 


II 


6 






10 




4 


6 


10 


10 ., 


4 


9 


7 


13 






II 


I 




2 


9 


II 


I 


3 


3 


7 




12 






2 


hi 


12 




2 
2 


10 


10 


13 

14 


I 3 
3 


IT, i 


10 







14 


I 




I 


4 


15 

i6 








I 


I^ 




I 


2 


9 
2 


16 




17 

i8 






1 ..-. 

I 


17 

18 






4 

2 


19 









I 


19 






I 


20 










20 






I 


21 










21 






I 


22 






! 1 


22 







1 


Total papers 


156 


184 


iiq|iii 





156 


187I118J111 


Median scores 


4-1 


5-0 


6.5|8.ii 





3-6 


4.3I7.2I10.2 



TABLE 19. 
The distribution of scores made b}^ pupils in the several 
g.ades. 

Reasoning Problems. 

Grades 



Scores 



7 



o 
I 
2 

3 

4 

5 
6 

7 
8 

9 
10 
II 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 



30 

30 

27 

26 

21 

10 

8 

I 

I 

I 



7 
20 
21 
30 

35 
24 

14 
12 

14 
2 

3 
I 
I 
I 
I 



2 
10 

13 

12 

17 
20 

14 
12 
6 
4 
4 
2 

3 



I 
2 
5 
5 

13 
14 
13 
16 
10 
10 

7 
6 

4 
4 
I 



Total papers 



156 



186 I 119 



III 

"77 



Median scores | 2.2 | 3.9 | 5. 



From the foregoing tables we see that there is a fairly steadv 



THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PUPILS 



gain from grade to grade in both fundamentals and reasoning. 
At the same time, there are seen to be 12 pupils in the fifth grade, 
15 in the sixth grade, 5 in the seventh grade, and 4 in the eighth 
grade who could not finish one example correctly in addition in 
eight minutes. A similar situation is revealed in the other funda- 
mental operations. 

While these children above mentioned were not able to finish 
a single example, there were others who completed twice as many 
as the average members of the class. This holds true for every 
operation in the fundamentals and for reasoning problems as well. 
This condition must result in a very great waste of time during 
arithmetic periods where so often all of the members of the class 
wait for the slow ones to complete the problem before new work 
is assigned. Considerable improvement can be effected if the 
work in arithmetic is varied for the members of the class so as to 
give each child, as far as possible, the sort of work which he most 
needs. It is one of the sources of greatest waste in our schools 
today that we give to all the children of a class the samiC work, 
without considering whether a large number of the class might 
not profit much more by doing something else. There is less ex- 
cuse for giving uniform instruction and work to the members of 
a class in arithmetic, than in most of the other subjects. 

It must not be supposed that effort should be made to bring 
all of the members of a class to the smne standard of excellence in 
any subject. We are not urging that teachers attempt to produce 
equal skill in arithmetic among all the members of their classes. 
However, when some children now in the fifth grade far surpass 
already the average ability of eighth-grade pupils, it is surely a 
waste of their good time to be doing the same arithmetic work 
which is best adapted to those members of the class who can com- 
plete no examples in the fundamental processes. To show clearly 
this overlapping of ability in the successive grades, Fig. 9 is given, 
representing the distributions of multiplication scores of the vari- 
ous grades. Any other one of the processes could have been used 
just as well to show how many there are in each grade who sur- 
pass the average ability of the classes above them, or fall below 
the average of the classes below them. 

If we can turn the school room into a sort of workshop 
where each child will be encouraged to seek out problems of 
keenest interest to himself, and where the teacher will seek to 
guide in the doing of those things most needful to him, we shall 
avoid some of the present evils of our lock-step system of instruc- 
tion, where each child does just the same as every other child. 

The question naturally arises whether the median score for 
the children of Butte is higher or lower than that achieved by 
children of the same grades in other cities. Mr. Courtis, the 
author of the tests in fundamentals used in Butte, has tested with 
the same examples and under the same conditions, 131 5 children 
in Detroit, 20,441 in Boston, and 3618 in other smaller places. 
Table 20 gives the median scores made by the several grades in 



90 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



Results OF Arithmetic Tests 
PcrcenTage of Pupils Attaining GivtN Scores 
Multiplication 
Median Scores 

-t O IQ — 



8tm Grade 




Scores o 



Fig. 9. Representing the percentage of children in the various grades 
making the given scores in multiplication. For example, 7% of the fifth- 
grade children mak^ a score of 0; 7% make a score of 1; etc. The over- 
lapping of ability from grade to grade is clearly shown. 



THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PUPILS 



91 



these cities, and along with them, the corresponding scores made 
in Butte. 

TABLE 20. » 

The median scores made by children in Detroit, Boston, a 
group of smaller cities, and Butte, in working the same examples 
in the same amount of time. 



Addition 
Grades 



Detroit 

Boston 

Other cities 
Butte 



3-9 


4.6 


37 


4.9 


3-9 


4.4 


2.9 


34 



54 
5-6 
4-7 
3-8 



6.7 
7.8 
5-6 
5-3 



Subtraction 



Detroit 

Boston 

Other cities 
Butte 




Multiplication 



Detroit 

Boston 

Other cities 
Butte 



3-8 

3-3 
2.6 
4.1 



4.8 

4.8 

4-5 
5-0 



6.0 

5-1 
5-2 
6.5 



7-5 
6.5 
6.4 
8.1 



Division 



Detroit 

Boston 

Other cities 
Butte 




8.8 

6.9 

6.3 
10.2 



The facts of this table are clearly set forth in Figs. 10 and 11. 
It is clear that the results, so far as average or median score is 
concerned, are very satisfactory in Butte in the fundamentals. 
While Butte stands a little low in addition, and about equal to 
the other cities in subtraction, the standings are high in multipli- 
cation and division. 

Unfortunately, so much cannot be said for the results in the 
reasoning problems. Here again the city is paying the price of 
too much formal work, and too little independent thought work. 
The papers were full of errors, and of a sort which indicated a 
lack of clear thinking. To illustrate this point, attention may 



92 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



Results of Arithmetic Tests 

Median Number of Correct Answers 

By Grades 

AOOITiON ANSWERS SUBTRACT; QN 

I! 



10 

























i 
/ 






// 






1/ 
^'4 


A 


i-'"" 


V 




-^ 


f 





















8 

T 
6 
3 
4- 



2 — 




8 GRADES 5 



8 



Fig. 10. Representing tlie achievements of four groups of children, 
the Butte children being one group, in addition and subtraction. For 
example, in addition, the fifth-grade children of Butte average 2.0 
examples finished correctly in the time allov^^ed; Boston averages Zj; 
Detroit and the other group both average 3.9. 



THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PUPILS 



93 



Results of Arithmetic Tests 

MEDJAN NUMftER OF CORRECT AnS>«ERS 

By Grades 
multiplication answer^ division 

li 




Fig. 11. This represents the achievements of four groups 
children in multiplication and division. To be read the same as Fig. 



ot 
10. 



94 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

be called to one error which was made by scores of children in 
all the grades. In so easy a problem as No. 5, which reads : 
"The uniforms for a baseball nine cost $2.50 each. 
The shoes cost $2.00 a pair. What was the total cost 
of uniforms and shoes for the nine ?" 
many of the children worked as follows : 

$2.50 X 9 equals $22.50 the cost of uniforms. 
$2.00x9 equals 18 the cost of shoes. 



22.68 the total cost of uniforms and 
shoes. 

Errors of the same sort abounded in most of the sets of 
papers. The number of problems attempted in the various grades 
grades was high, but the score was brought down very low by the 
great number of errors. There were enough rooms which proved 
exceptions to this rule, however, to indicate that some teachers 
have been emphasizing clear thinking, instead of form work. 

More than half the children in the schools worked fewer 
than four of the problems in the fifteen minutes allowed. Other 
children, on the contrary, worked most of them, and often without 
the use of pencil at all for the majority of the problems. We can- 
not believe that such wide variation in ability would be found if 
the instruction were adapted to secure the development of the 
native ability in each child. In Fig. 12 the amount of overlapping 
from grade to grade is clearly brought out, and we must here 
emphasize the urgent need for greater adaptation of the arith- 
metic work to the particular needs of the individuals making up 
any class group. . 

V. — Summary. 

As has been pointed out in the sections of this report dealing 
with the courses of study, Chapter III., and with the quality of in- 
struction, Chapter II., drill work in the schools is strong. This 
observation is verified by the high standing which the school 
system, as a whole, made in the tests in spelling, and the funda- 
mental operations in arithmetic. Whether this drill work is done 
with the greatest economy of time and effort may be questioned 
a little in the light of the great variability which is present in the 
achievements of the members of the same class. No type of 
school exercise needs more careful adaptation to the individuals 
receiving it than does the drill lesson. 

Some excellent penmanship work is done in Butte. However, 
the system of penmanship now being em.ployed requires keen in- 
sight into the fundamental principles of habit formation, if teach- 
ers are to avoid some serious mistakes in its use. This insight is 
not universally shown by the teachers in the city. Excessive drill 
on the movement exercises, at the expense of daily practice in the 
writing of good papers, has led, in the case of many children, to 
failure of control over the muscles used in writing. The result 
is a general irregularity in letter formations, and a domination of 



THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF PUPILS 



95 



Results of Arithmetic Tests 
Percentage of Pupils Attaining Given Scores 
Problems Involving Rseasoninc? 
median scores 
5th 6th 7th 8tm 

2.2 39 «5;8 7.7 
20 



8tm Grade 




20 



10 



— 




6th Grade 




7th Grade 

'/77777?r77m 



6 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 14. 15 



Fie;-. 12. Representing the percentage of children making the 
given scores in reasoning problems. For example, 197o of the fifth- 
grade children made a score of 0; 19% made a score of 1; etc. The 
lines representing the median scores for each grade tell about how 
many in each grade surpass the median scores for the grades above, 
and "hov.- manv fall below the median scores for the grades below. 



96 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

the forms used in drill exercises. Care upon this point will cor- 
rect the work in many of the rooms which stand low. The pen- 
manship will then be very satisfactory in the city as a whole. 

In composition, and again in reasoning, we see revealed the 
results of what is perhaps the most serious error in the teaching 
method now practiced in Butte. Filling children's memories with 
text-book facts does not make independent thinkers of them. 
Opportunity for self-expression should be freely given in kinder- 
gartens, and as freely given in all the grades above. What chil- 
dren think out for themselves is the main source of strength in 
later intellectual life. Except as the information in the text- 
books can be utilized, as material for independent thinking, it is 
of slight value indeed. It is through contact with nature in nature 
study and elementary science ; through self-expression in drawing 
real things, singing and composing real songs, making with the 
hands useful objects which the child has originated in his own 
mind ; and through making applications to the social situation 
around him, of the materials of history, geography,, mathematics, 
and the other studies ; it is through these things that the powers 
within a child grow. Experience in doing, and in independent 
thinking, furnishes the only adequate basis for expression. The 
solving of problems in nature study, geography, and history, as 
well as in arithmetic, is the only satisfactory training for the de- 
velopment of ability in reasoning. 

In this connection it may be well to emphasize what has been 
said elsewhere in this report, concerning the influence of the 
examination system now in vogue in Butte. Whatever adminis- 
trative device tends to encourage the getting of facts for the sake 
of facts, is almost certain to lead to undue emphasis upon formal 
instruction. Examinations should not be used in the elementary 
schools as a measure for determining promotion of pupils. As 
an illustration of the legitimate use of tests it may be interesting 
to cite the case of the Boston schools, where the progress in the 
fundamentals in arithmetic was measured by giving the Courtis 
Tests in January, and then again in April. By reference to Figs. 
ID and II it will be noted that Boston was weakest in division. 
That chart records the results of the January tests. Knowing 
this weakness, the teachers sought to remedy it. As a result, 
while the average gain between January and April was 2.1 exam- 
ples in addition, 1.8, in subtraction, and 2.0, in multiplication, it 
was 2.7 examples in division. 

If, then, instead of using examinations to determine promo- 
tions, teachers and principals used forms of tests, such as the 
ones employed by the survey commission, to determine how much 
progress is being made from year to year, and how much the 
weaker pupils are gaining,' and the like, then the tests would be 
regarded as means of really helping the teachers to solve their 
probems. Then, too, both the teachers and ,the pupils would be 
glad to have the measure applied. 



SUPERVISION OF INSTRUCTION 97 



CHAPTER V 

The Supervision of Instruction. 

The efficiency of a teaching' corps depends not only upon 
the professional preparation which the teachers may have had 
for their work, but also upon the adequacy of the supervisory 
corps with whom they work. The survey commission studied 
carefully the present situation with respect to supervision by hold- 
ing conferences with the superintendent of schools, the primary 
supervisor, the supervisors of special subjects, and with the prin- 
cipals of schools. Some member of the commission spent from 
one to four hours with each of the supervisors mentioned above. 
In some cases, as many as three members of the commission held 
conferences with the same supervisory officer. In addition to 
these conferences much light was thrown upon the problem by a 
careful survey of the courses of study in use, and by means of 
conferences with teachers with respect to their needs and con- 
cerning their contact with the supervisory officers. 

It is the chief business of the supervisory corps in any school 
system to continue the training which teachers may have had in 
preparation for their work. A teaching corps which is standing 
still can never be considered satisfactory, from a professional 
standpoint. Just as the doctor or lawyer must constantly keep 
in touch with the best work done in his profession, so the teacher, 
to be efficient, must be kept in touch with educational progress, 
and must expect to grow in teaching power from year to year. 
Indeed, it is safe to estimate that, under adequate supervision, 
the efficiency of teachers may be more than doubled after a short 
period of years. This is especially true, of course, of those who 
are young in the profession. 

For convenience of discussion, the work of the supervisor 
may be considered under the following heads : 

1. The demonstration of methods of teaching. 

2. The criticism of instruction given by teachers. 

3. The securing of the participaton of teachers in the de- 
velopment of supervisory and administrative policies. 

4. The measuring of the achievements of pupils. 

Demonstration of Methods of Teaching. — For a large ma- 
jority of those who engage in teaching, the most effective means 
to be em.ployed in developing right methods of teaching is to be 
found in the demonstration of successful methods, together with 
a discussion of their validity. An efficient principal of a school 
will often seek to strengthen the work of a teacher by teaching a 
class, and then, at some later time, holding a conference with the 
teacher she desires to help. In this way, it will be possible not 
simply to say to the teacher, "Do as I do," but also to point out 
the validity of the particular method demonstrated, and to dis- 
cover wherein may lie the difficult}' of understanding for the 
teacher whom the principal desires to help. 



98 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

In many school systems, teachers who do excellent work are 
asked to teach before a number of their colleagues. After such 
lessons for observation are held, the teacher who does the w^ork, 
and those who have observed, meet for discussion, in order that 
all may gain an insight and appreciation of the strength or weak- 
ness of the lesson taught under the guidance of the supervisory 
officer. It has been found advantageous in many school systems 
to have teachers visit in each other's rooms. This may prove 
profitable when the supervisory officer knows where to send the 
teacher who is to get help, and when the teacher knows that she 
is expected to report back, to the supervisory officer, her thought 
with respect to the teaching observed. 

Criticism of Instnicti^n. — Supervisors may help teachers 
through careful , and systematic criticism of their class-room 
teaching. A principal can often secure the confidence of the 
teachers with whom she works by showing appreciation of the 
strength which she has discovered. It is of course not enough 
to say that work is good, in order to capitalize the success of the 
teacher. The principal, or other supervisory officer, must indi- 
cate clearly the validity of the particular exercise commended in 
terms of principles of teaching, which are made clear to the 
teacher. With this foundation laid in appreciative criticism it 
will be possible for the supervisor to point out weaknesses in 
the work which has been observed, and to suggest again, in terms 
of fundamental principles, commended changes in method. Many 
exceptionally capable teachers need the help which can be given 
by the supervisor who suggests, by virtue of larger experience 
and broader professional outlook, possibilities of achievement 
which had never occurred to the teacher. This suggestive criti- 
cism may often be the means of keeping alive professionally a 
teacher who might otherwise cease to be interested or enthusiastic 
in her work. 

Co-operation of Teachers in Developing School Policies. — 
Successful supervisory officers are learning that it is advan- 
tageous, in so far as it is possible, to secure the participation of 
teachers in the development of supervisory and administrative 
policies. For example, in the making of the courses of study. 
The contribution of the teacher of the grade is just as important 
as that of the supervisory officer, or of the subject-matter expert. 
Indeed, there can be no satisfactory teaching of a course of study 
without that understanding and appreciation on the part of teach- 
ers which is best secured by having them contribute largely to 
the preparation of these syllabi. A wise administrator constantly 
seeks to acquaint teachers with the meaning of records which are 
kept and reports which are required. Some of the best forms 
for recording school information, and many of the most acceptable 
ideas with respect to those supervisory measures, have come from 
interested groups of teachers. Teachers' meetings cease to be a 
bore when it is understood that it is in this democratic assembly 
that the policies which are to govern the school system are to be 



SUPERVISION OF INSTRUCTIO N 99 

developed. In many systems of schools, a series of meetings by 
grades, or groups who have special interests, have been continued 
over a year or more in order to develop a course of study, or to 
discuss administrative policies, or for professional study which 
looks toward the improvement of the work in the schools. 

Measurement of the Achievements of Pupils. — A supervisory 
officer who is interested in his schools naturally attempts, from 
time to time, to measure the achievements of the pupils in the 
schools under his charge. Until very recently nearly all school 
systems used the term-examination as a means for making these 
tests. The courses of study were outlined on the basis of definite 
accomplishments, in definite text books, and then examination 
questions, uniform for all schools, were issued from the superin- 
tendent's office, the test being how many pupils could pass the 
written tests issued. 

This has been the method used in Butte, the question issued 
being either the Montana state questions, or questions approved 
by the city superintendent of schools. These examinations have 
been attempted b}^ all pupils, from the third to the eighth grades 
inclusive. One week, four times each year, or a total of one 
school month, has been given to these tests, and another week, 
also four times each 3'ear, or another school month, to preparation 
for the tests. Nominally one-third, but actually nearly one-half, 
as is explained in the footnote on page 50, of a child's chances 
for promotion from grade to grade has depended upon the ability 
to pass these quarterly written tests. The inevitable result of this 
method of school supervision has been that the teachers have 
come to teach text books, rather than children, and one of the 
measures of efficiency in the teaching corps has come to be the 
ability to prepare children for these examinations. 

As a method for supervising the schools the periodical writ- 
ten examination is about as poor and as wasteful a method as 
could be devised, and the bad results of the system in Butte have 
been well set forth in the statistical data given in Chapter I, show- 
ing the large number failing to pass the promotional tests and the 
large number of over-age children in the schools. Many of the 
faults in the instruction seen, as pointed out in Chapter II, on the 
Quality of Instruction, are also undoubtedly due, in large part, 
to the system of tests which have been in use, and which have 
determined the aims of the instruction given. 

This system of supervision is so wasteful of both the teachers' 
and pupils' time ; the questions asked are frequently so irrelevant, 
and so technical ; the effect of the tests in shaping the instruction 
are so bad ; the general failure of the plan as shown by the tests 
given (See Chapter IV), to insure efficient instruction, is so 
evident ; and the results on the promotion of children are so 
disastrous ; that the survey commission recommend the abandon- 
ment of these uniform written tests, and the substitution, not only 
of a more personal form of school supervision, but also of a more 
reliable basis for the promotion of pupils. If a course of study 



100 *" SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT , 

based on topics, rather than pages in text books, were outlined 
for the schools; if the supervision provided were to direct atten- 
tion more to the improvement in the methods of instruction on the 
part of teachers, and the methods of supervision on the part of 
principals; and if. promotion from grade to grade were based 
on the combined judgment of the teacher and principal con- 
cerned, — the educational results obtained in the Butte schools 
certainly would be materially improved. 

Standard Tests of Instruction. — The recommendation that 
the type of examination test heretofore used be abandoned does 
not mean that the survey commission feel that tests for purposes 
of supervision should not, from time to time, be made. On the 
contrary, the survey commission distinctly recommends the oppo- 
site. The tests that they recommend, however, in subjects in 
which they may be used, are the so-called "standard tests," such 
as were used by the commission itself in testing the work of the 
schools, and as are explained in some detail under Chapter IV. 
By the use of these standard efficiency tests, — tests designed to 
test individual growth, increase in accomplishment, reasoning 
ability, and increased personal power on the part of pupils, rather 
than the memorization of knowledge which may or may not be of 
any real value, — an efficient addition to the work of supervsion 
in Butte may be introduced. 

Careful students of education are beginning to appreciate 
the inadequacy of the method of examination of pupils which has 
been common in the past. With the development of scales and 
units of measurement which enable us more accurately to evaluate 
the achievements of pupils, the work of the supervisory officer 
has increased in significance. When such careful measurement 
of the results of instruction are made, and when teachers have 
been trained to appreciate the validity of such measures, it is 
relatively simple for the supervisory officer to point out with pre- 
cision the strength or weakness of a particular teacher. Where 
the right attitude exists between teachers and supervisors, this 
careful analysis of the results of the teacher's work quite com- 
monly results in a change of emphasis, or a re-distribution of 
time or eiffort upon the part of the teacher. 

Teacher and Supervisor. — In the survey of the problem of 
supervision in the Butte school system, the commisson were im- 
pressed with the spirit of co-operation which was evident as be- 
tween principals and teachers. They found many teachers who 
were eager to improve their work, and principals who were most 
anxious to help them. In every case, they felt that the principals 
were endeavoring faithfully to perform their duties, as they under- 
stood them. The recommendations of the commission have to 
do mainly with the necessity for broader training for members 
of the supervisory corps, in order that they may better under- 
stand the work which their position involves. The survey com- 
.niission, impressed as they have been by the need of better pro- 



SUPERVISION OF INSTRUCTION 101 



fessional training for the school principals, specifically recom- 
mends that their tenure in the school system be made to depend 
upon the securing of more adequate training than they now pos- 
sess. In order not to work any undue hardship upon them, it is 
recommended that they be given an extra month's salary, and 
that they be required, during the next three years, either to attend 
two summer schools, which may be organized by the board of 
school trustees in Butte, or that they attend two university sum- 
mer sessions, and take courses, devoted to the problems of super- 
vision, which meet with the approval of the superintendent of 
schools. 

We feel that we cannot commend too strongly, nor too often, 
the action of the board of school trustees in bringing to the city 
system a primary supervisor of broad experience and superior 
professional training. The commission believes that strong and 
continuous support of this officer .in her work for the improve- 
ment of the teaching corps will bring large returns in increased 
efficiency for the school system. 

There is need too, we believe, for thorough-going support 
of the superintendent of schools, by the board of trustees in any 
constructive policy he may desire to carry out. He should be 
considered the executive officer of the board, and should carry 
out the policies which the board has approved. His special pro- 
fessional training and equipment should be acknowledged, and 
lie should have the power to select teachers, secure text-books 
and supplies, place teachers in the system, bring about the organi- 
zation of courses of study, determine the organization of classes 
and schools, and direct the collection of data which may prove 
significant for the management and control of the school system, 
subject only to the approval or veto of the board of school trus- 
tees. He must, if his administration is to prove efficient, be held 
responsible also for the success or failure of his administration, 
and it is essential that he should be given power commensurate 
with this responsibility, and then be expected to use it, and use it 
intelligently. 

Throughout the system, the success of supervision will de- 
pend upon the loyalty of teachers to their principals, and of prin- 
cipals to the general supervisory and administrative officers of 
the system. There can never be established any adequate system 
of supervision or administration unless members of the board of 
school trustees constantly refer any matter of unrest or dispute 
to the supervisory officer most concerned, rather than to take 
action, or to support or condemn the one who is unhappy in her 
work. It is recommended that the rules of the board be so 
amended (if amendment is necessary) as to preclude an appeal 
to the board or to any individual member of that body, until any 
matter of dissatisfaction or dispute has been considered and acted 
upon by the proper supervisory or administrative officer. 



102 SCHOOL SURVEY REPOR T 

CHAPTER VI 

ADAPTATION OF THE SCHOOLS TO COMMUNITY 

NEEDS. 

I. — New Types of Instruction. 

It is the function of public education to provide opportunities 
for training- to all members of the community who are willing 
or who can be persuaded to secure more education. The older 
idea that the public school system was concerned only with the 
training of boys and girls from the ages of 6 to 14 and 16 has, 
in the more progressive communities, been replaced by a concep- 
tion of education which is large enough to mclude children of 
less than 6 years of age, and all of the members of the community 
beyond compulsory school age who can be interested in further 
education. We are beginning to understand that those ideals and 
purposes, which are to be significant in the lives of men and 
women, are more apt to be developed after the period devoted 
to elementary-school training than during the eight years devoted 
to this work. We know that in every city there are men and 
women who are eager to leani and whose further education will 
constitute one cf the greatest assets of the community. The 
organization of our schools which has placed the age of entrance 
at 6 is accidental, rather than carefully planned in terms of the 
development of children and the social consideration of the en- 
vironment in which they live. 

Kindergartens. — Reference has already been made in Chapter 
HI, on the Courses of Study, to the necessity for establishing 
kindergartens in all of the elementary schools. Without seeming 
unduly critical of the environment in which most of the children 
of Butte live, it may be remarked that there are few cities in the 
United States in which the environment of children is as unfavor- 
able as that found here. If children could have as much as three 
hours a day, from four to six vears of age, with skilled kinder- 
garten teachers, it seems to members of the commission that much 
of that joy which is the prerogative of childhood would be intro- 
duced into the lives of many of the little children of Butte, who 
are, even when home conditions are most favorable, happiest in 
their play and work with other children, under sympathetic direc- 
tion. 

Students of education recognize that the kindergarten does 
much for the social training of children, that the play activities 
which are to be found there have a very definite educative value, 
and that the free intercourse among children and teachers does 
much to lay the foundation for later intellectual development. It 
is in the kindergarten that many children get their first apprecia- 
tion of order and system. They acquire habits of industrv and 
courtesy, traits which are certainly valuable outside of school, and 
for preparation for their later school work. The folk lore, music, 
and art which are found in every good kindergarten, lay the 



SCHOOLS AND COMAIUXITY NEEDS 103 

foundation for growth in power of appreciation of those things- 
which are most worth while in Hterature, music, and the fine 
arts. Kindergarten teachers are always anxious concerning the 
physical welfare of children, and it is during the kindergarten 
period, not infrequently, that corrective treatment can be sug- 
gested, to the very great advantage of the children concerned, in 
terms of their later development. In an investigation made in 
an eastern city durng the past year it was discovered that, of two 
groups of children from the same economic and social groups, 
those who had attended kindergartens made better progress and 
<lid more satisfactory work in the eight years of their elementary- 
school courses than tliose who had not. 

Special Classes for Special Groups. — Very good provision 
has been made in the local school system for special work and 
custodial care for boys who are delinquent. The commission feel 
that similar provisions should also be made for girls. 

In their visits to the schools, the members of the survey com- 
mission were impressed by the number of backward or mentally 
deficient children who were present in the regular elementary- 
school classes. These children interfere greatly with the work 
of the teacher of normal children, and profit very little from the 
attemxpt which they make to do the regular school work. The 
commission recommends that special classes, of not more than 
fifteen pupils each, and taught by teachers who have secured 
special training, be organized in all of the larger buildings, for 
the sake of giving a type of instruction suited to the needs of 
backward or mentally-deficient children. 

In the first grades of many of the schools, a large number 
of children are to be found who do not speak English when they 
enter school. If kindergartens are established, this difficulty may 
be largely overcome. Until that time, it is recommended that 
special classes be organized for non-English speaking children, 
in order that their progress may be made more rapid, and for the 
sake of giving those who already speak English the larger oppor- 
tunit}^ Avhich would come from working in groups, equal in ability 
with themselves with respect to the command of the English 
language. 

The commission has not been able to make a careful investi- 
gation concerning the number of deaf, blind, crippled, tubercular, 
or otherwise physically unfortunate children in the city. Most 
cities of the size of Butte have found it necessary to organize 
special instruction for children thus handicapped. It is customary 
when the numbers are small and the distance to be traveled great, 
to provide transportation for these unfortunate children. This 
problem should be carefully investigated, and children in these 
groups, whether they are now in school or not, should be given 
such education as they are capable of enjoying. Care should be 
taken to provide, whenever possible, a kind of training which 
will enable these children to become self-supporting. 



104 SCHOOL SURVEY REPOR T 

In every school system there are also to be found those chil- 
dren who are especially capable. Provision is being made, in 
more progressive school systems, to conserve the ability repre- 
sented by these children of unusual capability by providing oppor- 
tunities, either for rapid advancement through the several grades 
of the school system, or for more intensive and thorough-going 
study of the subjects commonly taught. The commission is of 
the opinion that this matter should be carefully considered by 
principals and teachers in the Butte school system, and they are 
persuaded that, in many cases, children should be allowed to skip 
a half-year or more, from time to time, in order to put them in 
classes where they can work up to the maximum of their capacity. 
The recommendation contained in another part of this report for 
intermediate schools (see Chapter III, Part III), would, if carried 
out, do much to provide opportunity for these super-normal chil- 
dren in the upper grades of the schools. 

Night Schools. — The investment of any city in public school 
buildings and equipment can bring the maximum of return only 
when the buildings are used up to the maximum of their capacity, 
not only during the period from nine o'clock in the morning until 
four in the afternoon, but also during the later afternoon and 
evening hours, and possibly during the period before nine o'clock 
in the morning. In a city like Butte, in which the working day 
covers the whole of the twenty-four hours, it seems especially 
worth while to consider the possibility of utilizing the school 
equipment during more than six or seven hours a day. There 
must be in this city many boys and girls who leave school before 
completing either an elementary or a high school course, who 
would, if opportunity were offered, continue some phases of their 
work in classes which might be organized, as has already been 
suggested, either before regular school hours in the morning, 
during late afternoon hours, or during the period commonly cccu- 
pied by night schools. These young people should be encouraged 
to continue some sort of intellectual work, or if this type of 
activity makes little appeal, there should be given, in the school 
buildings, the opportunity for social intercourse, and they should 
have provided for them entertainment which will safeguard them 
and the community from the evil influences of the street and of 
those commercial amusement enterprises which are all too com- 
mon In our cities. Wherever the school plant has been opened 
to this group of people a large demand has been found for work 
in manual training, the commercial subjects, instruction in science, 
cooking and sewing, besides a considerable group who are anxious 
to take up those studies regularly- offered in the high school. 

Classes for Those Who Do Not Speak English. — Provision 
should be made for the teaching of English to youth or adults 
in the community, who are unable to speak or to read the English 
language. In the organization of such classes, it is not necessary 
to have special classes or teachers for each foreign tongue repre- 



SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY NEEDS 105 

sented. A well qualified teacher may have in her class as many 
as fifteen different nationalities, and yet prove most efficient in 
teaching English to all of them. The community's obligation to 
educate those who cannot speak English is as real, from the 
standpoint of the safe-guarding of our democratic institutions, as 
it is to educate all children between six and sixteen. Classes for 
the teaching of English to those speaking other languages should 
be opened in at least three or four school buildings, and should 
continue from seventy-five to one hundred sessions each year. 

The Wider Use of the School Plant. — School buildings 
should be opened as meeting places for groups of girls or women 
who may be interested in hygiene and home-nursing, in music, or 
in physical training. For the older boys and girls who have left 
school, or for the men and women of the community, public lec- 
tures, musical entertainments and social gatherings, debating or 
literary clubs, and the like, under proper restrictions, should be 
provided by the board of trustees, and should be encouraged in 
the school buildings. 

The community, as a whole, is interested in the education 
of little children, of youth, and of adults, and a wise organization 
of educational activities in any city 'must take account of the spe- 
cial needs and interests of the several groups to be found, without 
any age specification. The wider use of the school plant by those 
who are unable to, or are unwilHng to, attend the regular sessions 
of the elementary or high school will result in a larger return for 
-the community from the investment already mad^ in buildings and 
equipment. The purpose of public education cannot be realized 
until the school system throws open its doors and provides in- 
struction, suited to their needs, for all of the people of the com- 
munity. 

III. — The Physical Welfare of the Children. 

Facilities for Play. — In their examination of the schools of 
Butte the members of the survey commission have been deeply 
impressed with the need of very much greater attention to the 
physical welfare of the children in the schools. The play activities 
of the children seemed to be given but little chance for expression, 
in most of the schools, and the general absence of adequate play- 
grounds or playground facilities was noticeable. As is pointed 
out elsewhere in this report , (Chapter IX), larger playgrounds, 
a better location of the school buildings, and a supply of play- 
ground apparatus for each of the schools should be provided. 
The educational value of play is too often underestimated by 
both teachers and adults. In a community such as Butte much 
ought to be made of play, both for educational and physical 
reasons. 

Physical Conditions. — The members of the survey commis- 
sion were also impressed, as they visited the schools, with the 



106 SCHOOL SURVEY REPOR T 

urgent need for some form of physical examination and direction 
for the schools of the city. The number of children who wt^re 
sitting in seats too small, or too large for them ; the number who 
showed unmistakably that they were poorly nourished, and in 
poor physical condition ; the number of mouth breathers ; the 
number with defective teeth ; the large number with defective 
eyesight, and the few provided with glasses, — these and other 
evidences of the need of some competent physical direction, 
coupled with a follow-up system capable of advising and securing 
results, were impressive facts to the members of the survey com- 
mission. So impressive were they that the members of the survey 
commission feel that they would not be doing their dut}^ if they 
did not strongly urge upon the board of school trustees the neces- 
sity for the appointment of a competent person to direct health 
and physical welfare work in the schools, and to oversee the 
health instruction in the schools ; and also the appointment of at 
least two school nurses, to co-operate with the director of the 
health and physical work in the schools, and to follow up the 
work by securing the co-operation of the parents in the homes. 

Probable Conditions. — From careful studies made in hun- 
dreds of cities in the United States, and from the published re- 
sults of the studies of millions of school children in the United 
States, Europe, Canada, and Australia, very good estimates of 
the number of defective children in any community can now be 
made. Based on these studies we can safely say that, of the 
approximately 7500 children enrolled in the Butte schools, not far 
from 

12 percent (900) are poorly nourished or anaemic; 

60 per cent (4500) have seriously defective teeth; 

20 per cent (1500) have or have had obstructed nasal breath- 
ing, or enlarged tonsils ; 

10 per cent (750) have enlarged cervical glands, many of 
which are tuberculous ; 

20 per cent (1500) have been infected at least once with 
tuberculosis, many of whom probably will die of the disease ; 

12 per cent (900) have defective vision serious enough to 
require correction by glasses, with which very few seem to be 
provided ; 

5 per cent (375) have seriously defective hearing; 
2 per cent (150) have organic heart disease; 

6 per cent (450) are "nervous," or predisposed to some form 
of nervous disorder ; 

I per cent (75) are so mentally backward that their intelli- 
gence will never go beyond that which is normal for the twelve- 
year-old child; 

15 to 20 per cent (1125 to 1500) sleep in a bedroom with no 
window open ; 



SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY NEEDS _107 

50 per cent (3750) are not supplied with the kind of food 
which young children should have, if proper growth and mental 
development are to be expected. 

The above are more probably under rather than overesti- 
mates, as the percentages given will be exceeded in good Ameri- 
can residence cities. The figures given are sufficient to indicate 
at least some of the physical needs of Butte. The work of the 
schools can never reach a high plane of community usefulness 
until some intelligent attention is given to these defective children. 
It is a waste of time and money to pay a teacher $95.00 a month 
to try to impart instructon to a child who is physically incapable 
of absorbing 25 per cent of the instruction provided. The child 
fails to make progress, retards the progress of other children by 
absorbing an undue proportion of the teacher's time, fails of pro- 
motion, and is headed toward a failure in life's work. Statistical 
studies have shown that an unduly large proportion of criminals 
and prostitutes are recruited from this class of defective children. 
The very large amount of over-age and retarded pupils found 
in the Butte schools, (see Chapter I), is no doubt traceable to 
the absolute lack of any system of health supervision in the 
schools. 

Types of Health Supervision. — There are two main types of 
health supervision now found in the school systems of the United 
States. The first is the so-called "medical inspection," which is 
carried on, often by local physicians who devote a few hours a 
week to the detection and control of contagious diseases. This 
represents the usual beginnings of health service in the schools. 
In nearly all cases it is merely an extension of the functions of 
the local board of health. The cost averages, over the United 
States, about thirteen cents per year per pupil. 

The second type of school health service has now passed 
far beyond the "medical inspection" in v/hich the work began, 
and aims not only to control contagious diseases, but also to dis- 
cover every form of physical defectiveness which may exist among 
the pupils, and, by means of an efficient follow-up service, to 
secure the co-operation of the home in preventing and curing de- 
fects. This type of school health service also includes in its scope 
the physical training and playground work, the supervision of 
the hygiene instruction in the schools, home education in matters 
of hygiene, sanitary inspection and supervision of the school 
houses, and other similar lines of health and sanitary service. The 
cost is often as high as fifty cents per pupil per year, but it is 
worth many times the other type of health service. It is, how- 
ever, a much more difficult type to find a physician capable of 
handling. 

The School Ntirse. — At least two school nurses should be 
supplied for follow-up work. Without an adequate follow-up 
system only a small fraction of the notices of defects sent home 
to the parents will ever be acted upon. Judging by the experience 



108 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



of other cities, probably not more than from lo to 12 per cent 
would be acted on in Butte. With a school nurse follow-up sys- 
tem experience elsewhere shows that from 85 to 90 per cent of 
the cases reported secure attention. The nurse goes into the 
homes of the children, notes the conditions which surrounds them 
there, and by a tactful presentation of needs, which women can 
do so much better than men, accomplishes results with mothers 
which cannot otherwise be had. School nurses also very often 
establish somewhat permanent advisory relations with the homes 
they have once visited. 

School nurses can also make many of the routine school in- 
spections as well as can the school physician, and they are fre- 
quently of more service to the teachers. Eye diseases, skin dis- 
eases, the beginning of illness, the detection of head lice, and the 
early recognition of physical defects can be as well handled by 
the school nurse as by the school physician. Another advantage 
of school nurses is that they do not arouse so much professional 
jealousy as do regular physicians. 

The Teacher and Health Supervision. — Any plan for health 
supervision which does not secure the co-operation of the teachers 
in the school system probably will prove a failure. The more 
prominent the child-welfare and preventative aspects of the work, 
the more the teachers must be enlisted in the work if it is to suc- 
ceed. Teachers, who have the children under their charge, are 
usually very willing to co-operate, if they only understand what 
it is they are expected to do. An important part of the work of 
a health supervisor is the education of the teachers so that they 
may render the proper co-operative assistance to both the school 
physician and the school nurse. Though usually quite blind to 
physical defects at first, teachers soon, with a little training, be- 
come quite adept in detecting many of the common defects of 
childhood. 

Instruction in Hygiene and Play Supervision. — Another place 
where the right kind of a school physician can render valuable 
service is in supervising the health instruction and physical train- 
ing work of the schools. To the members of the survey com- 
mission both of these lines of work seemed to be in need of more 
careful and more intelhgent direction. Of directed play, in a 
large number of the schools, there seemed to be little or none. 
The work in health instruction, it was felt, could also be materially 
improved. 



PART II 

THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROBLEM 



no SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

CHAPTER VII 

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE SCHOOLS. 

I. — The Legal Basis for the Schools. 

State Origin of Schools. — The schools of Butte are organized 
in pursuance of the constitution of Montana, (Art. XI, Sec. i), 
which requires that the Legislative Assembly shall "establish and 
maintain a general, uniform, and thorough system of public, free 
common schools,'" by means of which a free school shall be organ- 
ized and maintained in each school district in the state. 

State Control of Schools. — In pursuance of this mandate of 
the constitution of the state, the legislature has enacted a detailed 
School Code, larger and longer than this report of the survey 
commission, and in which regulations for the organization of 
school districts, the election of school officers, the maintenance of 
schools, the certification and appointment of teachers, the selec- 
tion of text books, the attendance of children, the erection of 
school buildings, and many other matters relating to the adminis- 
tration and supervision of schools, are fully set forth. Instead of 
leaving the maintenance of schools to community option, their 
maintenance has been required; instead of leaving the levying of 
taxes to the whims of town or city councils, the boards of school 
trustees have been given independent power to levy a school tax ; 
instead of leaving attendance optional with communities, the law 
requires all children between 8 and 14 to attend school every day 
the public schools are in session, regulates the labor of children, 
and requires districts of the first class to appoint truant officers, 
with police powers, to enforce the law ; instead of leaving the 
length of term and the kind of teacher employed to communities 
to determine, the state has required a nine-months term in all 
first- and second-class districts, and forbidden the payment of 
school money to any teacher not possessed of a teacher's certifi- 
cate, as required by law ; and, in many other matters,, what com- 
munities must do is definitely and specifically laid down in the 
school Code of the state. The courts, too, have uniformly decided 
that school districts are separate and distinct corporations from 
municipal corporations with which they may be contiguous or 
may form a part. Municipal corporations exist for the purposes 
of local government, and are largely local affairs ; school corpo- 
rations exist for the carrying out of a state purpose, are largely 
independent of local control, and are under the supervision of 
a special department of the state government. A school district 
and a municipality frequently have entirely different boundaries, 
as, for example, in the case of Butte. 

School Districts of the First Class. — To carry out the state 
purpose better, the school districts of the state are classified under 
the law as districts of the first, second or third class, and larger 
independent powers are given to the larger districts. A school 



ADMINIvSTRATIOX OF THE SCHOOLS 111 

district whicli has a population of 8000 or over within its boun- 
daries is classified as a school district of the first class, and to 
this classification Butte belongs. Such are to be governed by a 
board of school trustees of seven, members, to be elected by the 
legal voters of the school district, at the annual April school elec- 
tions and for three-year terms. The board, when properly organ- 
ized, becomes a body corporate and politic, with power to sue and 
be sued, make contracts, purchase and hold school property, and 
conduct the schools of the district according to the provisions of 
the school law of the state. Each such board in a district of the 
first class has power (School Laws, Sees. 507-8), also, to estab- 
lish high schools ; to transport children to a central school, or 
schools ; to establish night schools ; to add any new branches of 
instruction which they may desire to add ; to establish and main- 
tain kindergartens (Sec. 602) ; to appoint a school clerk (Sec. 
504) , to attend to the business affairs of the board ; and to appoint 
(Sec. 1502) a city superintendent of schools, "for not longer than 
a three-year term," who "shall have supervision of the schools of 
the district," and who "shall be the executive officer of the 
board." 

Large Pozvers of the State. — Even in districts of the first 
class the powers of the school board come from the state and not 
from the city ; its authority to act conies from the state school law ; 
and its limitations are imposed by the state. The state even says 
what subjects must be taught (Sec. 601) ; what text books must 
be used in the schools (Sees. 1800-1813) ; may prescribe the 
course of study which must be used (Sec. 202, div. 8) ; and may 
even examine the pupils in any school system, to test whether 
or not they shall be promoted from the elementary schools to the 
high school (Sec. 106, div. 4). 

These state regulations have been prescribed largely in an 
effort to protect the schools from the attacks or the neglect of 
shortsighted communities, the power being given to the state to 
prevent such communities from defrauding their children out of 
the educational rights and opportunities which the state has, in its 
wisdom, decreed that the cUildren of the state shall have. 

Limitations of State Control for City School Systems. — This 
oversight is both the strength and the weakness of the schools. 
In small districts, especially those of the third class (under 1000 
inhabitants) most of the limitations imposed are very desirable, but 
in districts of the first class, especially districts having 25,000 or 
more inhabitants, some of the limitations and requirements of the 
state must be remitted. The surve}^ commission is glad to record 
that the state educational authorities have used the option allowed 
them and have granted the Butte school district freedom from the 
uniform state examinations, and permission to frame its own 
course of study. These were important grants, had they been 
fully availed of. Instead, the state examinations have merely 
been replaced by local examinations, almost equally unpedagog- 



112 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

ical and deadly in their results (See Chapters I and V) ; while 
the permission to frame a local course of study has only in part 
been availed of (See Chapter III). 

A district of the first class, and especially such a large dis- 
trict as that of Butte, should also be allowed to use other books 
than the regular state text books, if it should so desire. State 
oversight and control shoula never go to the extent oi interfering 
with local initiative and local efficiency. In the matter of text 
books, Butte, for its particular needs, could easily improve on some 
of the state-adopted text books which it must now use ; to enforce 
the use of the state course of study and the state promotional ex- 
aminations on Butte would be, if a good school system is to be 
maintained, little short of a calamity. The methods, aims, and 
purposes of an efficient modern city school system, such as Butte 
ought to develop for its children, and the methods, aims, and 
purposes of the state course of study and the state examinations, 
made out, as these have been, with the needs of untrained teachers 
in isolated rural schools primarily in mind, are so diametrically 
opposed that the two are not reconcilable. The results on the 
schools of Butte, in the past, of this state-type of instruction was 
brought out fully by the tests which were given by the survey 
commission (see Chap. IV), and the changes and reorganizations 
now needed have been set forth at some length in Chapters II 
and III. 

II. — The Board and Its Problems. 

Within the limits prescribed by law the board of trustees for 
School District No. i of Silver Bow County, Montana, more 
commonly known as the Butte school district, have official control 
of the schools. The title to the school property rests with them, 
and, as a continuing body, they pass the title on to their suc- 
cessors. They appoint their own executing officers, employ prin- 
cipals and teachers for the schools, determine what schools shall 
be maintained and what new types of instruction shall be pro- 
vided, determine the school tax to be levied, and have power to 
make rules and regulations, not inconsistent with the state law 
or the rules and regulations of the state board of education, for 
the government of the schools of the district. Within the limits 
laid down by the school law of the state the powers of the board 
of school trustees are large, — too large, in fact, for any lay board 
of school officers to exercise intelligently, unless they obtain and 
follow as good expert advice as they are able to obtain. 

To guide the board in its official actions the law has pro- 
vided for the appointment, in school districts of the first class, 
of two executive officers, — a clerk, and a city superintendent of 
schools. The success of a school system, such as that of Butte, 
depends largely upon the intelligence used by the board in select- 
ing the best possible persons for these offices, and then upon how 
fully they rely, in their many official acts, on the judgment of the 
officials selected. Onlv the best men available for the monev the 



ADMINISTRATION OF THE SCHOOLS 113 

board can afford to pay should be selected for these positions. 

Proper Official Relations. — The city superintendent of 
schools, for a city school system the size of Butte, should be the 
official head of the school system, and much of the policy in the 
development of the school system should emanate from him. He, 
more than anyone else, should be the thinking and constructive 
leader of the schools. When he is so, the board should follow his 
judgment and leadership, and should not superimpose its own 
judgment, except in matters of large importance. When he is 
not the board should secure a successor who will think, and can 
lead. In all such matters as the courses of study ; the appoint- 
ment, promotion, transfer, and dismissal of teachers, ana the 
organization of instruction; the board should -jCt only on the 
recommendation of the city superintendent of schools. In the 
matter of new school buildings and the repair and reconstruction 
of old buildings, all plans should be subject to his approval, to 
insure that good hygienic standards are followed. 

While the school clerk should be entrusted with many busi- 
ness matters, and often with power to act independently in the 
name of the board of trustees, he should, nevertheless, in all such 
educational matters as the purchase of school supplies, the rela- 
tions of the clerk's office to the teachers and the schools, or the 
maintenance of efficiency in the janitor service, act in harmony 
with the wishes of the city superintendent of schools. In other 
words, the city superintendent of schools, as the chief executive 
officer of the board of school trustees, should have official over- 
sight and co-ordinating authority over the office of the school clerk, 
as well as over all other employes of the board of school trustees. 
If he is a man of good judgment and good sense he will allow 
large independence and use his authority but seldom, but the 
fact that such co-ordinating authority rests with him will do 
much to promote efficiency and secure proper relationships within 
the school system. The chart on the following page shows the 
relationships which should exist. 

The Board and the Superintendent. — So long as the board 
of trustees has confidence in the ability and good judgment of the 
superintendent of schools, he should be supported in his efforts 
to improve and advance the interests of the schools ; when the 
board loses this confidence they should replace him by someone 
in whose ability and good judgment they have confidence. They 
should not make the common mistake of attempting to assume 
authority in educational matters themselves, concerning which 
they cannot act intelligently, nor should they permit the superin- 
tendent of schools to evade his proper responsibility bv putting 
it off onto them. Book agents, supply agents, applicants for 
teacher's positions, disgruntled teachers and principals, and all 
others seeking favors in the school department, should, at once, 
be referred to the superintendent of schools, with the simple 
statement that the board makes it a rule to take no action in such 



114 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 







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ADMINISTRATION OF TFIE SCHOOLS HS 

matters except upon his recommendation. When once this is 
generally understood by the community, the board members will 
be saved the waste of much valuable time, and the efficiency of 
the educational service will be greatly improved. The superin- 
tendent will naturally make some mistakes, but a much smaller 
number than will the members of the board of school trustees. 
One important measure of the efficiency and capacity of a super- 
intendent of schools is his willingness and his ability to assume 
authority and to carry large responsibilities, and, conversely, one 
important measure of the intelligence and educational insight of 
a board of school trustees for a city school system is the degree 
to which they refer educational matters to the superintendent and 
entrust him to act for them, and then stand firmly behind him 
when he acts. 

The Board's Proper Function. — This does not mean that the 
board of school trustees will have nothing left to do. On the 
contrary, there will still be plenty left for them to manage. It 
simply means that in those matters which are matters of expert 
judgment, and which no board of laymen is competent to decide, 
they ought to act only on the recommendation of the educational 
expert they employ, and ought to trust. It is a sheer waste of 
public funds to pay $4,000 for an educational expert, and then 
disregard his advice and judgment. In all matters such as the 
hygienic aspects of school-house construction, the outlining of 
courses of study, the selection of text and supplemental books, 
passing on the competency of instruction or the efficiency of the 
service in the school department, — matters which no board of 
laymen is competent to pass intelligently upon, — action should be 
based only on the recommendation of the expert educational 
officer of the board. 

This leaves the board free to attend to the main business 
which they are elected to handle, and frees them from the hun- 
dreds of petty annoyances incident to the personal pulls and in- 
fluences which beset any lay school board which attempts to 
exercise expert functions. The large problems which a board of 
school trustees must handle are the selection of expert advisors 
and assistants, upon which great care should be exercised; the 
selection of school sites, always with future needs in mind; the 
erection of school buildings, to see that they meet good standards, 
and are properly built ; the larger problems of finance, present 
and future ; the determination of the annual budget ; the approval 
of expenses incurred ; the final decision as to proposed expan- 
sions and developments of the public educational system under 
their control ; and the representation of the needs of the school 
system before the people of the community, and, if necessary, 
before the legislature of the state. These larger needs are far 
more important and far more vital than the smaller and more 
personal details of school administration to which boards of 
school trustees too frequently devote the larger part of their 



116 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

energy and thinking, — often to the detriment of the schools under 
their control. 

Fundamental Administrative Principles. — By way of sum- 
mary it may be stated that the chief function of a board of school 
trustees is to govern, rather than to minutely supervise or direct ; 
to watch the larger problems of its work, and to trust the smaller 
ones to the experts it employs ; and to keep themselves free from 
the personal influences and personal and party pulls which so 
constantly surround them by placing all personal matters in the 
hands of an expert who knows what ought to be done, and who 
has the courage to stand for fundamental educational principles 
and policies. The school business of Butte is an important part 
of this community's efforts at self government and self improve- 
ment, and the purpose for which the schools were created and are 
maintained is the proper education of the school population of 
the community. They exist, in no sense of the word, to afford 
positions for teachers, or contracts for individuals. Positions 
and contracts are purely incidental and subordinate and should 
be kept so, in order that the best possible education of the children, 
for whom the schools exist, may be carried on under the best 
conditions that are possible. 



THE TEACHING CORPS 



117 



CHAPTER VIII 

SELECTION, TRAINING, TENURE AND SALARIES OF 

TEACHERS. 

The Preparation for Teaching of the Present Corps. — Data 
with respect to high school training and normal school work be- 
fore beginning teaching in Butte, professional training since en- 
tering the service in the city system, and experience in years in 
Butte and elsewhere, were collected on a blank furnished to all 
teachers, principals, and supervisory officers in the school sys- 
tem*. The results are given in the accompanying table, No. 21. 

TABLE 21. 
Education^ Professional Training, and Teaching Experi- 
ence OF Principals, Supervisors, Special Teachers 
AND Teachers in Elementary Schools. 



'a 
.S 






W 



-t-j 

O 

H 



High school education obtained — 

1 In Butte 

2 In other Montana high schools 

3 Elsewhere _ 

Having no college training beyond high 

school 

Normal training before entering service 
in Butte — 

1 None 

2 In Montana 

3 Elsewhere 

Training since entering Butte 

I None 

2. Normal school 

3 College or university 

Years of Teaching Experience — 

1 In Butte — 

o to 4 years 

5 to 9 years 

10 to 14 years 

2 Elsewhere — 

o to 4 years 

5 to 9 years 

10 or more years 

3 Total years experience— 

o to 4 years 

4 to 9 years 

10 to 14 years 

15 to 19 years 

20 or more vears 



4 

I 

II 



3 

3 

10 



o 

2 

12 

7 
3 
o 



I 

I 

10 

4 



93 
14 

74 

161 



87 
41 
53 

147 
15 
19 



71 
54 
19 

116 

36 
II 

17 
61 

47 
25 
21 



97 
16 

93 
175 



91 
44 
71 

159 
24 

25 



74 
60 

33 



127 
40 
13 

19 
64 

49 
37 

27 



*For form of blank, see Appendix. 



118 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

Some of the more important facts are presented briefly below : 

1. Of i8i elementary-school teachers who filled out the 
blank, 93 took their high-school training in Butte, 14 in other 
cities in Montana, and 74 outside the State of Montana. 

2. Eighty-seven of these elementary teachers had no pro- 
fessional training before beginning to teach in Butte ; 41 had some 
professional training, varying from 4 weeks to two years, in 
Montana; while 53 had some professional training, varying from 
4 weeks to 2 years, outside the State of Montana, Of the whole 
number of elementary school teachers reporting (181), only 22 
had two years normal school or other professional training be- 
yond their high-school course before beginning to teach in Butte. 

3. Of the elementary-school principals, 6 out of 16 had two 
years of normal-school or other professional training, beyond the 
high-school course, before beginning to teach in Butte. Of the 
special teachers and supervisors, 8 had some professional training 
before beginning to teach in Butte, and 6 had 2 years or more of 
professional training before entering upon service in the city 
school system. 

4. The high-school teachers were, as required by a regula- 
tion of the board of trustees, graduates of approved colleges or 
universities, but many of them had no specific professional train- 
ing for their work. It was not possible on the form which was 
filled out to discover, with respect to high-school teachers, the 
exact nature or extent of their professional training. 

5. 147 out of 181 elementary-school teachers reporting have 
had no professional training since entering the service in Butte ; 
15 have had some normal-school training, usually a summer 
school ; and 19 have attended summer sessions in connection with 
colleges or universities. 

6. Of the 16 elementary-school principals, 9 have had no 
professional training since entering the service in Butte, while 
7 have attended summer schools in connection with normal schools 
or universities, since entering their period of service. 

7. Out of 35 high-school teachers reporting, 12 have at- 
tended summer sessions since entering upon their work in the 
Butte high school. 

8. Of all of the teachers in the city school system, 97 have 
taught in the Butte schools from i to 4 years, 70 from 5 to 9 
years, 40 from 10 to 14 years, and 36 for more than 15 years. 
151 of these teachers have taught from i to 4 years outside of 
Butte, 46 have taught elsewhere from 5 to 9 years, and 15 have 
had experience of more than 10 years outside of the Butte school 
system. (These data include the high-school teachers.) 

Conclusions From the Data. — Any careful consideration of 
these data, especially when taken in connection with the discus- 
sion of the quality of instruction (Chapter II), and the efficiency 
of the school system as measured by the achievements of school 



THE TEACHING CORPS 119 

children (Chapter IV), leads inevitably to the conclusion that, 
as a body, the Butte teachers lacked adequate professional train- 
ing before entering service in the Butte school system, and that 
few of them have felt it necessary to secure such professional 
training since entering upon their duties as teachers in Butte. 
No city may hope to develop an efficient school system without 
requiring professional training for all who would teach in the 
system. In all progressive cities known to the members of the 
survey commission, no teacher is appointed to a position in the 
elementary schools who has not had at least 2 years of profes- 
sional training beyond her high school course. It is, of course, 
even more important that principals and supervisory officers 
should have had such training. In the light of these facts, the 
commission have decided to make a specific recommendation with 
regard to the professional training of those now in the teaching 
corps, and most strongly recommends that, hereafter, no one be 
elected to a position as a teacher or supervisor who has not had 
at least two years of professional training beyond the high school 
course. 

Recommendations for Further Professional Training of the 
Teachers and Principals. — In order not to work any undue hard- 
ship upon those who are now at work in the school system, the 
plan outlined below for providing professional training is recom- 
mended by the survey commission. As has already been indi- 
cated, the great majority of the elementary-school teachers lack 
adequate professional training. These teachers, in their work in 
the Butte school system, have had similar experiences and faced 
similar problems and difficulties. It seems, therefore, to the 
commission, that much might be gained by organizing in Butte, 
either for the four weeks immediately following the close of the 
school year, or for the four weeks immediately preceding the 
opening of the next school term, a summer school in which the 
elementary-school teachers and principals would be organized in 
five or six groups, according to the grades in which they teach 
or the special supervisory work in which they are engaged. Such 
a school should be under the direction of the superintendent of 
schools, who should secure professional specialists as instructors. 
This school should be continued, for at least three years in suc- 
cession, and every teacher or principal should be required to at- 
tend two out of the three years. For those who might prefer to 
attend a summer school of six weeks elsewhere, provision should 
be made that, upon the approval by the superintendent of schools 
of the courses which they elect to take in these summer schools, 
they might substitute the work in summer sessions in connection 
with normal schools, colleges, or universities for the summer 
school in Butte. Since those now at work in the school system 
have, by virtue of the contracts which they now hold with the 
board of school trustees, earned the salary which these contracts 
call for, the commission believes that it would be only fair to 
allow to every teacher or principal attending the summer school 



120 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



in Butte, or elsewhere, one month's salary in addition to that 
called for by the present contract. We recognize that this would 
involve an additional annual expenditure of approximately $20,000 
in salaries, as well as the cost of the summer school in Butte. The 
local summer school would probably cost at least $5000. The . 
commission are of the opinion, however, that there is no way in 
which $25,000 -could be spent to better advantage from the stand- 
point of improving the efficiency the whole school system. 

The Salaries of Teachers. — Any discussion of the efficiency 
of the teaching corps must take into consideration the salaries 
paid to the teaching body. The only satisfactory basis for a dis- 
cussion of the salaries in Butte is to be found by comparing the 
salaries paid in this school system wich those found in other 
western cities. The following table presents the data necessary 
for this comparison : 

TABLE 22. 
Comparative Salary Schedules in Western Citees. 



City 



Teachers 



Principals 



Minimum Maximum Minimum Maximum 



Salary 



Salary Salary 



Salarv 



1. Elementary Sch'ls 

Alameda, Cal 

Berkeley, Cal 

Butte, Mont. 

Los Angeles, Cal 

Oakland, Cal 

Pasadena, Cal 

Portland, Oregon 

Salt Lake City, Utah 

San Diego, Cal 

San Francisco, Cal.... 
Seattle, Washington 
Tacoma, Washington 

2. High Schools 

Alameda, Cal 

Berkeley, Cal 

Butte, Mont. 

Los Angeles, Cal 

Oakland, Cal 

Pasadena, Cal 

Portland, Oregon 

Salt Lake City, Utah 

San Diego, Cal 

San Francisco, Cal.... 
Seattle, Washington 
Tacoma, Washington 

*One teacher paid 



$ 840 
840 
800 

744 
780 
800 

725 
600 
792 
840 
840 
600 

1200 
1080 
1200 

1200 
1140 

IIOO 

II 50 
850 
1200 
1500 
1020 
810 



51140 
1200 

950 

1200 
1200 
1100 
1 100 
1020 
1032 
1224 
mo 
960 

1440 
1500 

1400* 

1560 
1500 
1600 
1350 
1400 

1524 
1680 
1560 
1350 



;i62o 
1320 

1120 

1200 
1500 
1200 
io=;o 



1200 
1320 
1200 
1 140 



$2160 
2280 

1540 

2400 
2400 
1900 
2150 



2004 
2260 
2040 
1800 



$1500. 



THE TEACHING CORPS 121 

It is evident from the table given above that the minimum 
salary paid to elementary-school teachers in Butte compares 
favorably with that paid in other Western cities, but that the 
maximum salary paid is lower than that found elsewhere. 

Recommendations as to Salaries. — It is the opinion of the 
survey commission that those teachers now in the system should, 
during the next three years, consider the extra month's salary 
paid for attendance upon summer school in Butte or elsewhere 
as a satisfactory increase in salary. This recommendation seems 
valid to the members of the commission in the light of the mini- 
mrnii of professional training now enjoyed by the very great 
majority of the teachers in the Butte school system. 

For those coming into the school system, who have had 
professional training and experience, the commission recom- 
mends a salary schedule, beginning at $900 and increasing auto- 
matically by $50 increments annually up to $1000. After the 
salary of $1000 has been reached, further increase should be 
made to depend upon professional training or special assignment 
of work. The commission believes that for each of two summer 
sessions, a further increase of $50 a year in salary should be 
allowed. (This further increase should also be allowed to teach- 
ers now in the school system after two summer sessions have 
been attended, in Butte or elsewhere, for which an additional 
month's salary has been paid).- - 

For one year's work in a teachers' college, or other approved 
professional school, an increase of $100 in salary should be al- 
lowed, provided that no elementary-school teacher's salary shall 
be greater than $1200 annually. 

A Probationary Period for Inexperienced Teachers. — If those 
who have had a 4 years' high-school course, plus a two years' 
normal-school course, are admitted to the system without experi- 
ence, the commission recommends that they be paid, during the 
first year of service, not more than $750, and that during that 
year they be regularly employed in the school system as assistant 
or substitute teachers. When not on duty as substitute teachers, 
these inexperienced teachers should be placed in the rooms of 
the most capable teachers in the school system, and should, under 
the direction of the general supervisory officers, receive careful 
training for the grade of work which, in the judgment of the 
supervisory officers, they are best able to perform. 

Salaries of Special Teachers. — Those teachers who are 
charged with the responsibility of training, imder the direction 
of the general supervisory officers, these inexperienced teachers 
should receive $100 annually, in addition to the salary to which 
they are regularly entitled as per the recommendations made 
above, and they should be designated as training teachers. 

Teachers who are placed in charge of classes for backward 
or deficient children should receive these positions only after 



122 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

at least six weeks of special training v/ith reference to the prob- 
lem of teaching such classes. They should be given $ioo in 
addition to the salary to which they would be regularly entitled, 
as provided in the schedule suggested above. 

Salaries of Principals. — In the judgment of the commission, 
all elementary-school principals should receive a minimum salary 
of $1200. An increase above that amount, or beyond the salary 
now paid to them, should be postponed until after two summer 
sessions have been spent by them in the study of supervisory 
problems, either in the Butte summer school or elsewhere. After 
such professional training has been secured, salaries should be 
increased automatically, by $100 increments annually, up to $1400. 
For principals who show superior skill as executive officers, 
whose ability as supervisors of instruction in the training of the 
teachers under their direction is certified by the superintendent 
of schools, whose professional interest and enthusiasm is recog- 
nized by the members of the general supervisory corps, increases 
by $100 increments up to $1600 should be provided, depending 
upon the study of supervision and related subjects for at least 
six weeks in a summer school for each increment of $100. 

Salaries for High-School Teachers. — The minimum salary 
paid to high-school teachers in Butte compares favorably with 
most other western cities. There does not seem to be enough 
provision for an increase in salary to enable the system to secure 
and hold the most capable teachers. The commission recom- 
mends that the minimum salary be put at $1250, and that in- 
creases of $50 annually be allowed until a maximum of $1400 
has been reached. For those superior teachers who are willing 
to spend at least six weeks in the summer sessions of recognized 
colleges and universities, in the study of such subjects as may be 
approved by the superintendent of schools and the high-school 
principal, the commission recommends that increments of $100 
for each summer session, up to $1600, be allowed. 

For high-school teachers, either now employed or later to 
be employed, who possess unusual skill as teachers, executive 
ability, and professional interest and enthusiasm, the commission 
recommends the creation of the position of head of department, 
with a minimum salary of $1600 and a maximum salary of $1800, 
the maximum of $1,800 to be reached by increments of $100 only 
upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools and 
the high-school principal, and only by virtue of the possession of 
superior professional training, or by reason of study in summer 
sessions, or in universities during other parts of the academic 
year, of the problems which are especially important to their 
several fields. It would seem to the survey commission unwise 
to plan to create immediately heads of departments for each 
subject taught in the high-school. Such positions should be held 
for those now in the system who show unusual professional 



THE TEACHING CORPS 123 

interest and growth, or for those who are later to be brought into 
the system, on account of superior abiUty and training. 

Essential Features of the Plan Proposed. — The plan outlined 
above for establishing salary schedules for teachers of the Butte 
school system recognizes the fact that it is necessary to pay a 
minimum salary in order to justify the investment in time and 
money which is essential for preparation for teaching. The plan 
further recognizes the need for an increase beyond this minimvmi 
salary for all teachers who are considered satisfactory workers 
in the system. The practice of the most progressive cities of the 
United States has lead to the recommendation that the maximum 
salary be granted only to those who are willing to secure special 
professional training, and who demonstrate special ability. It is 
always unwise to increase, automatically, the salaries of all 
teachers from the minimum to the maximum, since under such a 
system there are always those who early in their careers cease to 
be students,' and consequently cease to grow in efficiency. The 
provisions enumerated for special training will, we believe, pro- 
vide in the school system a group of wide-awake, growing, en- 
thusiastic teachers, who must prove an invaluable asset in improv- 
ing the efficiency of the school system. 



124 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

CHAPTER IX 

SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT. 

The problem of school buildings and their equipment had 
been most carefully studied, and reports had been prepared and 
presented by the school architect and the county health officer, 
and by the city health officer, prior to the beginning of the work 
of the school survey commission. Access to these reports was 
freely granted, and they were found to be in substantial agree- 
ment. The members of the commission took copies of the reports 
with them, upon visiting the majority of the buildings, and found 
that they could, in the main, concur with the recommendations 
which had already been made. This section of the report will, 
therefore, not attempt to recite in detail the deficiencies^ and needs 
for improvement in each of the school buildings. Such a report 
would necessarily only duplicate the reports which are already 
available for the school board and for the citizens of the city. 
The commission has felt, however, that it was worth while to 
emphasize certain deficiencies which are common, and to make 
certain recommendations with regard to future development. 

School Sites. — It is unfortunate that the school sites which 
have heretofore been purchased have been so small. The general 
plan of location of school buildings which has been followed in 
the past is that of purchasing a corner of a block, and then plac- 
ing the school building near the property line of the two streets. 
So long as the streets are unpaved and no street cars pass the 
buildings the noise is not particularly objectionable, but with the 
coming of streets paved with brick or stone, and the laying of 
the street car tracks in concrete, the noise of passing traffic be- 
comes so great that school work can scarcely be carried on. There 
are a number of rooms in the present high-school building, for 
example, where, if the windows are open, teachers are practically 
compelled to stop work when a street car is passing the building. 

A school building site should be large enough that the build- 
ing may be placed somewhat back from the street to escape some 
of the noise, and also to allow for playground facilities on each 
side of the building. The recent action taken by the board of 
trustees in presenting to the people, for their vote, the proposition 
to spend $150,000 on repairs for school buildings and for enlarg- 
ing school grounds, in order to provide better playground facili- 
ties, cannot be too strongly commended. In the future, school 
sites should never be bought unless there is ample ground not 
only for the building, but for playgrounds for both sexes as well. 

Types of Buildings Found. — The common type of school- 
house construction which has been followed in the past is what 
may be called the square type, as contrasted with the elongated 
type, which will be described further on in this chapter. The 
picture of the Franklin school, reproduced opposite this page, 
shows the type very well. As this building was reconstructed in 




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BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT 125 

1910, it may be taken to represent one of the more recent types 
of school houses constructed. As will be pointed out further on, 
a square building does not enable an architect to provide the 
right type of class-room arrangement, lighting facilities, or the 
proper arrangement of supplemental rooms, such as will be ex- 
plained later on. 

Most of the buildings examined showed many defects from 
the standpoint of proper school-house construction. The ceilings 
in many cases are too high, with the result that much fuel is used 
in heating the buildings, and much more stair-climbing is re- 
quired. With a high ceiling, either more space must be used for 
stairways, or the incline of the stairs must be sharper. The fire 
escapes provided for many of the buildings are poorly arranged, 
children in a number of cases being compelled to go up steps 
and through a window in order to reach the fire escape ; whereas 
the fire escape should be reached, in all cases, through a door 
provided with patent inside openers. 

In most of the buildings examined, the ventilating system 
was so poor that open windows had to be depended upon, in 
most of the rooms, for ventilating purposes. The air intakes 
were near the ground, instead of at the top of the building, and 
the smoked and dirty walls showed plainly that the ventilating 
system was not a satisfactory one. In a community such as 
Butte, where so much soft, smoky coal is used, all air sent to the 
school rooms for ventilating purposes should first be passed 
through a washing chamber, to remove the soot and dirt from it. 

The toilet facilities provided in most of the buildings are 
inadequate, there being only about one-half the number of toilets 
provided which good school-house construction requires. The 
ratio used by the best school-house architects is one toilet for 
every fifteen girls, and one toilet or urinal for every fifteen boys, 
whereas the ratio commonly found here varied from one to 
twenty-five to one to forty pupils. The buildings generally w^ere 
inadequately supplied with drinking fountains, and the basements 
of many were dirty, and some contained inflammable material 
which ought to be kept in special rooms. 

Typical Class-Rooms Found Here. — The drawing on the 
following page shows a typical class-room as found in Butte. 
It will be noticed that the lighting is from two sides, that the 
room is square, and that the room is relatively large. Many still 
larger rooms are to be found in the different schools. In some of 
the buildings, and even in some of the recently-constructed ones, 
rooms were seen in which the light came from three sides instead 
of two, though two is the almost universal arrangement. The 
ratio of glass to floor space is not the only factor ; the light 
must come into the room in the proper manner also. On the 
new Washington school, which is now in process of construction, 
these fundamental errors have been repeated in a number of the 
class rooms, and in two rooms the lighting comes from three sides. 



126 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



l'8" 



25 '6" 
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3 




A Typical Classroom in Buttc 

Fig IS. A classroom in the Lincoln school. This is a typical Butte 
classroom, though there are many which are still larger. The square 
room, lighted from two sides, and the heavy divisions between the win- 
dows are the prominent characteristics of the room. The glare of light 
in such a room is very trying to the eyes. 

As a result, in almost every room in the city, the resulting glare 
and shadows must prove most injurious to the eyes of both the 
children and the teacher. In future buildings, no room should 
be lighted from more than one side, and the arrangement of win- 
dows should be as is indicated in the drawing and description 
given on the opposite page. 

In nearly all class rooms examined the blackboards were in 
poor condition, and in general were too high from the floors. 
Many of the blackboards now in use are shiny, difficult to write 
upon, and harder to read from. Any that are to be kept in use 
should be re-surfaced frequently, and as soon as possible slate 
blackboards should be substituted. The commission wishes to 
commend most heartily the action of the board of trustees in call- 



BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT 



127 



ing for bids for a carload of slate blackboards to replace the 
poorer of the composition boards now in use. 

The walls in many of the buildings are dirty, and of a most 
unsatisfactory color. They should be re-tinted, in light and soft 
neutral tones, and kept in good condition. 

In all of the buildings, many of the children are sitting in 
seats which are positively injurious to them. In two rooms noted 
one-fourth of the children could not touch the floor with their 
feet. All new seats bought should be of the adjustable type, 
and janitors should be required, under the supervision of the 
principal, to readjust, at least twice a year, such seats as may need 
to be changed. While the non-adjustable seats are still in use, 
seats of different sizes should be provided in each room, in order 
to make better provision for the varying physical development of 
the children who are to be found there. Many of the seats in 
the city should be scraped and varnished before the next school 
term opens. 

Proper Type of Class Room. — Figure i6 shows a good type 
of class-room, such as is now provided in all well-built school 
houses. It will be noted that the lighting is from one side, that 

r< 30' 0" 



oDoDoDoDoDoDon 

ononoDoDononon 

oDoDoDoDoDoDoD 



Proper Arrangement of Classroom 
Fig. 16. This room has approximately the same floor area as the 
other (Fig. 15), but the space is better arranged. The windows are 
banked on one side, and the narrow divisions between the windows, 
formed by steel I beams, eliminate shadows. The light comes to all 
'"'tnils over the left shoulder, and more from the rear than the front. 
The ceilings should not exceed 12 to 13 feet, and the windows should 
go to the ceiling. 

the windows are closely banked, that the heavy mullions which 
characterize the Butte buildings have been eliminated, and that 




128 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

the lighting comes more from the back than from the front of 
the room. The room is also built on the dimensions of approxi- 
mately three wide by four long, so as to secure adequate lighting 
in all parts of the room. By such an arrangement of windows 
and seats, every child is provided with adequate light, coming 
over his left shoulder, and no one has to face a glare of light as 
at present. 

Proper Type of Building Needed. — In all future construc- 
tion, a new type of school building should be provided. A picture 
of one of the best of our modern types of school buildings is here 
introduced. It will be seen from the figure that this is a fourteen- 
class-room building, with eight class-rooms on the front and six 
on the back, and with an assembly hall projecting from the rear 
in place of two of the lower class-rooms. The construction is 
simple, all fancy exterior ornamentation has been eliminated, and 
the building is designed to provide the best of conditions for the 
children inside of the building, rather than to produce a fancy 
exterior to please the architect. The building also is what may 
be called the elongated type, as opposed to the square type shown 
in the picture of the Franklin school. A comparison of the two 
pictures will show what entirely different types of buildings the 
two are. The picture showing the desirable type also has an ad- 
vantage in that, at an}^ time, it may be extended by adding four 
class-rooms on each end. 

To get a better idea of interior arrangements, we also repro- 
duce, on the following pages, three floor plans, showing the inte- 
rior arrangement of another and a slightly larger example of one 
of the best of our more recent buildings. An examination 
of these plans will show the many advantages of such a building- 
over the present type of building in Butte. The lighting arrange- 
ments are excellent, class-rooms are of the proper size and dimen- 
sions, but little space is used in corridors, and the building is 
provided with many of those extra facilities, — such as gymnasiumi, 
assembly-hall, retiring rooms, teachers' rooms, and special class- 
rooms — which should characterize any modern school building. 
By means of two sliding doors, which can be drawn to shut off 
the lower corridor, the assembly-hall may be used in the evening 
for community meetings, lectures, entertainments, or any other 
similar purpose, and with no access to the building other than 
through the front entrance and the corridor leading to the assem- 
bly-hall. Such a type of building could be made of the greatest 
service, in the education of the whole people, in such a community 
as Butte, and could be made a social as well as an educational 
center for the community in which it is located. 

Possible Re-organisations Here. — The survey commission 
feel very strongly that the school trustees have been making a 
fundamental error in erecting so many small buildings. If the 
financial records, pointed out as desirable in Chapter XI, were 
available, the commission has no doubt but that these small 
buildings would be found to cost much more per capita for main- 













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132 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

tenance than the larger buildings. That they are not so efficient 
educationally there can be little question. The board of trustees 
ought, in the future, to plan to erect buildings containing sixteen 
to twenty class-rooms. If one room is used for a kindergarten, 
one for a special type of school-room, and provision is then 
made for domestic science and manual training in the buildings, 
but sixteen class-rooms would be left, for ordinary class-room 
purposes, in a twenty-class-room building. This number of 
rooms is desirable, not only from the standpoint of economical 
administration, but also because it gives an opportunity for the 
proper grading and classification of the pupils. The building for 
which floor plans have been introduced is such a twenty class- 
room building, not coimting the assembly hall or basement. 

A number of the school buildings in Butte are in such poor 
condition, and are so poorly constructed from the standpoint of 
proper standards of school-house construction, that they ought, 
within a short time, to be replaced by a better type of building. 
As fast as can be done, larger buildings, modeled somewhat after 
the type shown, should be erected to replace these smaller build- 
ings. The Greeley school is now in such a condition that it ought 
to be abandoned soon, and it is almost a waste of money to try 
to repair it. The Lincoln school, also, ought soon to be replaced 
by a better type of building. What is true of these two schools 
is true, in a certain sense, of some of the others, and it is probable 
that, within the next ten to fifteen years, the school authorities 
of Butte will need to replace a number of their buildings by 
schools of a better and more modern type. When the time comes 
for such reconstructions, the board of trustees should build larger 
units, and fewer buildings, and should try to obtain a full block 
of land for each of the larger schools. The building could then 
be located in the center of the block, removing it somewhat from 
the noisy street, and giving ample playground facilities. It would 
be much more economical to abolish some of the smaller schools 
and transport the pupils, even at public expense, to these larger 
central buildings, and by this means the education which is pro- 
vided for the children could be very materially improved. 

Intermediate-School and High-School. — In another part of 
this report the survey commission have made recommendations 
for the establishment of kindergartens, special classes for back- 
ward children, and manual training and domestic-science centers 
in each of the larger schools (Chapters I and VI), and also have 
recommended the creation of intermediate schools (Chapter III). 
Should the board of school trustees consider it desirable to follow 
the recommendations of the survey commission in the first of 
these, it will be found necessary to create a central intermediate 
school in order to care for the children of the upper grades whose 
rooms must be vacated if the other types of schools are to be 
put in the present buildings, most of .which are already full. 
Should this be done, it would then seem to the members of the 
commission to be advisable to establish, in the present high-school 



BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT 133 



plant, the intermediate school recommended in Chapter III, and 
to secure for the high school a new site, and to put up a new 
building better adapted to high school needs. 

The present high school plant is already too small, and in 
many respects is a very unsatisfactory building. There are not 
enough class-rooms to meet the needs of the present teaching 
force under a normal schedule of work. A number of the class- 
rooms are extremely dark, and are not fit for class use. In a 
few, electric lights have to be burned, even on sunshiny days. 
Some of the halls are dark, many of the rooms are noisy, and the 
general arrangement of the building is not one well adapted to 
the best high-school instruction. If the intermediate-school were 
located in the present high-school plant, it would be possible to 
abandon the rooms which are most unsatisfactory, and to make 
such alterations and repairs as might be necessary to put the 
present building in a reasonably satisfactory condition. The pres- 
ent board and office rooms could then remain as they are, without 
the expense necessary to remove them to other quarters. 

With the present high-school population, and with the in- 
crease that may be anticipated during the next few years, it seems 
to the members of the commission extremely unwise to spend 
any more money in trying to enlarge or add to the present high- 
school building. As is pointed out in Chapters I and III, the 
high-school should materially enlarge its influence in this com- 
munity, especially by the development of more technical work, 
and this cannot be done in any satisfactory manner in the present 
quarters. If a new high-school site of not less than a block of 
land were obtained, reasonably near to the center of population 
but removed from noisy car lines, and a modern high-school 
building were constructed on it, there could be placed in this 
building a large gymnasium and assembly hall, and the building 
could be made the main center for the intellectual life of the 
whole community. The building should be provided with good 
library facilities, and the needs of night-classes as well as day- 
classes should be kept in mind in its construction. With the 
proper development of the elementary-school system, the provision 
of intermediate schools, with differentiated courses, and the erec- 
tion of a high-school building suited to the educational and social 
needs of this community, it is not unreasonable to expect that, 
within a few years, there would be an attendance of fourteen to 
fifteen hundred in day-classes and two thousand in night-classes. 
The influence of such an educational institution on the community 
can scarcely be over-estimated. 

The members of the commission are not unmindful, in mak- 
ing the recommendations given above, of the expense which would 
be involved in carrying out this program. They have found 
themselves, however, unable to suggest any other solution which 
seems to them to promise adequate school facilities for the chil- 
dren of Butte. 

Janitor Service. — The janitor service in the different build- 



134 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

ings appeared to the members of the commission to be faithful 
but not always intelligent. The janitors seemed to be willing and 
attentive, but in many cases not to understand how to secure the 
best results. In two buildings members of the commission found 
janitors sweeping without using the sweeping compound supplied 
by the boar-d. Though the need for using the sweeping compound 
was pointed out to both principal and janitor, in one case, a 
second and later visit to the building found the janitor following 
the same old methods. The fumigation of the buildings required 
by the regulations of the board was, in general, carried on in 
such a manner as to be of practically no value. In one building, 
three out of seven of the water closets used by the boys were 
found with the seats off, and in a number of cases the closets 
would not flush. When asked about it both janitor and principal 
said they had not known of the defects before, but apparently no 
effort had been made to remedy the defects. Many of the desks 
in the school rooms were in a bad condition of repair. 

The need of some intelligent supervision of the janitiirial 
force, clothed with proper authority, was evident to the members 
of the commission, and they wish to recommend that the scluicl 
clerk, who is nominally in charge of the janitorial force, be given, 
subject to the co-ordinating supervisory authority of the superin- 
tendent of schools, as is pointed out in Chapter VII, supervisory 
control over the janitorial force of the city, and that he be given 
authority and power to enforce such regulations as may seem 
ad'.isable to secure more efficient service than is now ren.lered 
in the different school buildings. For the sake of thorouglily 
cleaning the buildings, making needed repairs, over-hauling the 
ventilating systems, re-surfacing and re-varnishing desks, and the 
like, it seems to the members of the commission that it would be 
advantageous to employ the janitorial force throMphont a portion 
or perhai^s all ci ihc ^ un mer vacation. 



. PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF BUTTE, MONTANA 
FORM 1. THE SCHOOL CENSUS BOOK 





CODE NUMBERS TO BE 


USED 


IN 


COLUMNS 


INDICATED 


BY • 


























AUTHORITY FOR 
DATE OF BIRTH 

1. Dirlll Certifiiali. 

2. Baptismal 

Certificate 


SEX 

1. Hoy 

2. Ciil 


RACE 

1. Wliire 

2. Negro 

.'!. Moniirolian 


BIRTHPLACE OF CHILD OR OF FATHER 

1. United States 5. Italy 3. Poland 1.!. Noiway-Sweden 

2. Ireland C>. England 10. Scotland 14, ('hina 

3. Germany 7. Canada 11. I'ranee ir,. Jliseellaneoiis 

4. Russia 8. Ilunsary 12. Boimiania and iinknonii 


KIND 

OF 

SCHOOL 

1. Iliblic 

2. Parocliial 

3. Private 


HOW EM 

1. In stores (cash boys, eiranii 

boys, etc.) 

2. Ill office (clerlf, office boy, etc.) 

3. Slessenger (outdoors, c. eg. Telc- 

grapb, delivery service, etc.) 


PLOYED 

(!. Street trades (newsboys, ped- 
dlers, b00tl)lacl;s, etc.) 

7. Sliilled trades (painters, papcr- 
liangcr.s, plasterers, plumbers, 
metal workera, etc.) 

S. .Service (servants, waiters, house- 
maids, etc.) 

!). Houscworit at home. 
11). Miscellaneous ami unknown 


NOT ENROLLED AND 
NOT EMPLOYED 

1. To be enrolled in Sep- 

tember 

2. Incapacitated 

8. Temporarily unem- 
ployed 

4. Illegal non-attendant 


DEFECTIVE 

1. Blind 

2. Crippled 

3. Deaf 

4. Speech 

Defect 

5. Epileptic 
C. Backward 

■ 7. Tubercular 
8. Other 

Defects 


Day 

Date 


Book 


3. Parent's 

Statement 


worl;) 
, .0. Factory work (laundries, foun- 
dries, mills, etc.) 


Page 




NAME OF CHILDREN 


DATE OF BIRTH 


B-l 


SEX 
* 


RACE 


BIRTHPLACE 
OF 


PARENTS OR GUARDIA^ 
OR FULL NAMS OF MOTHERI 




RESIDENCE 


ENROLLED 


NOT ENROLLED 









BLOCK 




MO. 


DAY 





* 










CHILD 


* 


FATHER MOTHER 


NAME 


• 


HOW 

• 


EMPLOYER 
NAME AND ADDRESS 


• 


DEFECTIVE 

















































— 













































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___ 


__ 


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— 












— 




















' 


— 


— 





CENSUS. RECORDS AxND REPORTS 135 

CHAPTER X 

CENSUS, RECORDS AND REPORTS. 

The schools of the city of Butte exist for the education of 
all the children of the city. Only as these schools reach and give 
to the children of the city at least a complete elementary-school 
education, if not a high-school education, are they fulfilling their 
function and performing their full service. The efficiency of the 
schools of Butte can be judged, therefore, from this point of 
view, only when it is known to what extent they are reaching all 
of the children of the city of school age, and to what extent they 
are holding them in school. 

The Present School Census. — The only source of knowing the 
number of children in the school district served by the schools of 
Butte is the school census. This census is taken annually between 
the first day of September and the first day of October, imder 
the authority and direction of the clerk of the board of education. 

The school census collects the following information: Names 
of all children and youth between the ages of six and 21 years, 
giving age, date of birth, sex, name of father, name of mother cr 
guardian,^ residence of parent or guardian. Though not reqnired 
by law, similar data are collected for all children under six years 
of age; also, a separate tabulation is made for deaf. Mind and 
feeble-minded persons. In a word, the school census as now taken 
includes an enumeration of all persons in the district under ■.i\ 
years of age. 

The purpose of the school census is to provide the basis for 
the apportionment of the state school fund. We are informed 
that little if any use is made of the school census in determining 
to what extent the children enumerated are actually to be found 
in the public, private, or parochial schools of Butte. That is, the 
school census is not used as the basis of determining the actual 
number of children that should be enrolled in the schools. 

While the school census of District No. i is perhaps as com- 
plete as such census generally are, and the form in which it is 
tabulated is excellent, yet in all probability, even if it were de- 
sired, the school census, as now taken, would not serve as an 
accurate base of determining the number of children within the 
district which should be in school. 

Improving and Amending the School Census. — The prime 
purpose of a school census is to furnish accurate and complete 
information with respect to all children and youth who should 
be in school, and to supply a fact basis for the enforcement of the 
compulsory education law. 

Information to Collect. — To this end, we believe, the school 
census should collect the data as called for in Form No. i.* In 

*A series of sis forms "were prepared, to illustrate this chapter of the 
report, and these are to be found in the Appendix to the report. 



136 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

this form, in addition to the information now collected in the 
school census, emphasis is placed upon the nationality of children, 
on how the children and youth of the district are employed, and 
on the enrollment and non-enrollment of school children. Also, 
provision is made for memoranda on houses which are closed 
and from which no children are reported. These memoranda 
serve as a simple basis of re-enumeration. The form proposed 
to be used in the school census includes all the information re- 
quired by the State Law of Montana. This information could be 
tabulated and presented in such form as is prescribed by the State 
Law, while the additional information provided should be tabu- 
lated and made useful in the determining- of educational policies 
and the enforcement of the compulsory education law. 

Time to Take the Census. — At present, the school census is 
taken between the first of September and the first of October. If 
a school census is to serve its primary purpose, it should be taken 
earlier in the summer, and should be completed some weeks prior 
to the opening of the schools. When taken during the summer, 
the attendance officers can be employed in the work. Should this 
be done, it would not only decrease the expense, but probably in- 
crease the thoroughness of the census. Moreover, when the 
census enumeration is taken prior to September, it is possible 
to complete the census file hereafter mentioned, and tabulate 
material so as to be useful in determining, at the opening of the 
school year, the number of children who should be, and who are 
not, in school. To be sure, the present law prescribes the date 
of taking the census. It would seem possible, however, to secure 
such changes in the law that the enumeration might be taken at 
the time when it would be of the greatest usefulness. 

Card Census File. — While the information called for in Form 
No. I may be thus entered in the books prescribed by the State 
Law, for practical purposes the census is kept on Form No. 2, 
the School Census Card. A card is filled out for each child of 
school age, and these are filed in the office of the superintendent 
of schools, alphabetically, within the public or private or parochial 
school attended. A separate file is provided for all children 
who, for any reason, are not attending school as required by law. 
This file becomes the working basis of determing the number of 
children within the district who should be in school and a basis 
of enforcing the compulsory education law. 

That the information contained on these census cards may 
be up-to-date and accurate at the time the file is first instituted, 
all schools, public, private, and parochial, should be required to 
file, in the office of the clerk of the board of education, informa- 
tion with regard to each child enrolled in the respective school 
or institution at the end of the school year. With this complete 
file of children, both in attendance and non-attendance, each 
school, whether public, private, or parochial, is notified of the 
pupils that should be in their school at the opening of the first 



UST NAME 



SCHOOL CENSUS CARD 
PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, BUTTE. MONTAMA 



FIRST NAME 



DATE OF BIRTH 



Mo. 



Day Year ■^ 



PHYSICAL OR MENTAL DEFECT S (Check/) 



Blind 



Crip' Id 



Deaf 



Speech Epilep- 
Defect tic 



Back- 
ward 



Tuber- 
cular 



Boy 



Girl 



White 



Col'd 



AGE 
SEPT. 1 



Parent's first names or Guardian's full 
name 



Mong'l 



RESIDENCE 



Child 



Father 



NATIVE COUNTRY 



SCHOOL ATTENDING 



DATE ADMITTED 



Mo. 



Day 



CAUSE OF NON-ENROLMENT * 



Year 



Use the following code 
numbers in columns desig- 
nated by * 

Date of Birth : 

1. Birth Certificate. 

2. Baptismal Certificate. 

3. Parent's Statement. 
Cause of Non-Enrolment : 

Cause of Non-Enrolment: 

1. To be enrolled in Sept. 

2. Incapacitated. 

3. Illegal Non-Attendant. 




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CENSUS. RECORDS AND REPORTS 137 

semester. This list is, in turn, checked by the respective prin- 
cipals, and the pupils not reporting to their respective schools or 
to any school supplies the list of pupils who should be immediate- 
ly looked up by the attendance officers. 

Keeping the Census File Up-to-Date. — In order that the cen- 
sus file may be kept up-to-date, the principal of each school, 
whether private, parochial, or public, should, at the close of each 
week of the school year, send to the office of the city superin- 
tendent of schools a school census card (Form No. 2), for each 
child admitted who has not been previously in attendance in any 
school in Butte. 

In addition, the principal of each school building-, whether 
Dublic, private, or parochial, should, at the close of each week, 
send to the office of the city superintendent of schools, on Form 
No. 3, (a) information with regard to pupils admitted on trans- 
fer, (b) information with regard to pupils discharged on transfer, 
(c) pupils discharged without transfer. 

Educational Use of the Census File. — As suggested above, 
the census file, after the taking of each school census, supplies 
exact information with regard to all children of school age in the 
district ; also, with regard to the number actually attending school, 
and the number not attending for unlawful reasons, as well as the 
number not attending for lawful reasons. When this file is 
checked, at the beginning of the school year, as against the chil- 
dren actually in attendance, the school officers are supplied with 
definite lists of^pupils who should receive their immediate atten- 
tion. Through supplementing the census, by the means sug- 
gested, during the course of the school year, census officers are 
provided with definite information with regard to children that 
are in transit, by reason of being transferred from one school to 
another, or dropped out of school for unknown reasons, and these 
lists supply the attendance officers with the information which 
enables them to follov/ up, in addition to cases actually reported 
by principals, all cases of non-attendance, where there is doubt. 
It is only by thus establishing a complete census file, and supple- 
menting it during the course of the year, that it is possible to 
know the actual number of children in school, and the extent 
to which the schools of Butte are actually keeping the children 
in school. 

Enforcing the Compulsory Education Lazv. — The primary 
purpose of a complete school census is, as previously indicated, 
to supply the basis of enforcing the compulsory education law. 

Present Effectiveness of Attendance Service. — While there 
are no records available which indicate whether or not the schools 
are reaching all of the children of school age in the communitv, 
there are available facts which prove that, once children are" en- 
rolled, they are kept in regular attendance. This is shown in 
Table 23, on the following page. 



138 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 







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CENSUS. RECORDS AND REPORTS 139 

The attendance of pupils in these two typical elementary 
schools by periods was : 

Attending less than 80 half-days 2.5 per cent 

Attending 80 and less than 90 half-days 5 per cent 

Attending 90 and less than 100 half-days 9 per cent 

Attending 100 and less than no half-days 5 per cent 

Attending no and less than 120 half-days 8 per cent 

Attending 120 and less than 130 half -days 1.3 per cent 

Attending 130 and less than 140 half-days 2.6 per cent 

Attending 140 and less than 150 half-days 5.5 per cent 

Attending 150 and less than 160 half-days 14.6 per cent 

Attending 160 and less than 170 half-days 50.1 per cent 

Attending 170 half -days, the entire session 20.0 per cent 

This is excellent school attendance, and is evidence of the 
earnest work of teachers, principals and attendance officers in 
looking after, and seeing that children are regularly at school. 

School Records Needed. — While it might be held that the 
present excellent attendance in the public schools is ample proof 
of the efficient enforcement of the compulsory education law, the 
survey commission are, however, of the belief that the effective- 
ness of this enforcement can be still further increased, and that, 
essential to such enforcement, certain records are indispensable : 

1. An accurate record of attendance of any school, kept by 
the teacher — that is, an accurately-kept daily register or blotter. 

2. A uniform method of referring cases tO' the attendance 
officers, by teachers and principals. 

3. A uniform system of reporting back cases to school auth- 
orities, by attendance officers. 

4. A uniform system of principals' reporting to the super- 
intendent cases referred to the attendance ofificers, and the re- 
sults of the investigations. 

5. Uniform system of reporting to the superintendent the 
cases investigated by the attendance officers, and the results of 
their investigations. 

The Teacher's Register or Blotter. — There is used, in the 
public schools of Butte, a loose-leaf daily blotter. The use of 
this blotter causes the teacher to copy, during the course of the 
year, the names of all the pupils in her class not less than ten 
times. In place of this loose-leaf blotter, we would recommend 
the use of Form No. 4, Attendance and Scholarship Card. If 
deemed desirable, a loose-leaf blank could be substituted for the 
card. Not only would the substitution of either the card or loose- 
It af form obviate unnecessary copying of names, but such a form, 
would greatly facilitate the transfer of pupils, the individual 
attendance and scholarship card being sent to the school to v/hich 
the child is transferred, in the same way as the admission, dis- 
charge, and promotion card is now sent. The adoption of this 
attendance and scholarship card would not only supply the data 



140 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

on attendance needed for the enforcement of the compulsors'^ edu- 
cation law, but it would make possible a simplification of the 
present monthly report and summary for the semester. The 
simplification of the present blotter, monthly report, and sum- 
mary for the semester is greatly to be desired. Moreover, the 
attendance and scholarship card to be filed at the end of each 
school year Avith the principal, would serve as a cumulative at- 
tendance and scholarship record for the child during his entire 
school course. 

Report of Principal to Attendance Officers. — The report of 
cases by principals to attendance officers is now made orally, 
only the name and the address of the child, as a rule, being given. 
That the present effectiveness of the attendance service may be 
increased, we believe that a uniform method of reporting these 
cases should be introduced. To this end, we recommend the in- 
troduction of Form No. 5, Absent Report. This is a simple form, 
giving merel}^ the requisite data for the location of the child, 
statement of amount of absence, during the period in question, 
the date of attendance officer receiving and making a report 
on the case, and the result of the investigation. Such a record 
not only serves as the basis, on the one hand, for the attendance 
officer reporting his work to the superintendent, but also as the 
basis of the principal keeping the official records of the school 
and of making her report to the superintendent. 

Report of Principal to Superintendent. — It is required at the 
present time that the principals report, monthly, to the city super- 
intendent on truants and non-attendants referred to the attend- 
ance officers. The report includes the name, age, and grade of 
pupils ; also, whether or not the child is a truant or merely a non- 
attendant, and the result of the investigation by the attendance 
officer. While these reports are sent regularly to the office of 
the city superintendent, they are by no means filled out either 
uniformly or completely. To the end that the principal's monthly 
report to the superintendent on truants and non-attendants shall 
be made uniform, and that the data included therein shall be 
complete, we recomm.end the substitution of Form No. 6. 

Report of Attendance Officers to Superintendent. — All re- 
ports at present made by truant officers to the superintendent are 
essentially verbal reports. To be sure, each attendance officer 
keeps a memoranda of the cases handled by him, but, so far as 
we know, no formal reports are submitted by the attendance 
officers. 

Such formal reports are, however, required by law of attend- 
ance officers. To the end that systematic record may be avail- 
able on the work of the attendance officers, more particularly 
that there may be at hand evidence of the effective work now be- 
ing done, we recommend the adoption of Form No. 7. 

Necessary Co-operation. — In order to determine whether or 



Am 



REPORT ON ABSENCE 

PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, BUTTE, MONTANA 



Last Name 


First Name 


SCHOOL 


Grade 


SIGNATURE OF ATTEND- 
ANCE OFFICER 


Residence 



























REPORT OF PRINCIPAL 


REPORT OF ATTENDANCE OFFICER 


REPORT 


SESSIONS ABSENT 


DATE 
R ECEIVED 


DATE 
FILED 


Absence 
Lawfnl 


Absence 
Unlawful 


Date of Prob- 
able Return 


Date Com. to 


~ FROM 


TO 


Ind. School 




MO. 


DAY 


MO. 1 DAY 


Mo. 


DAY 


MO. 


DAY 


MO. 


DAY 


MO. 


Day 


1 






























2 






























3 






























4 































USE CODE NUMBERS ON BACK OF THIS CARD DESIGNATED BY -^ 



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FORM VI. 



PUBLI 



•\T!^OM .rlTTU© 



Nam^ 



Total 



PRINCIPAL'S MONTHLY REPORT ON ABSENT PUPILS 



FOR MONTH OF_ 



PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 




















BUTTE, 


MONTANA 


- 




— 


— 








SCHOOL 






CASES FOR INVESTIGATION 


REPORT OF PRINCIPAL 


Name of PupU 


u 5 = 

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p » « 


RECEIVED 


J ° 5 


A — ABSENCE 
LAWFUI. 


B — DBOFFEO PCPLL 


C — ABSENCE 
UNI-AWFUI, 


Total No. 

Cases 

XnTestlsatod 

A— B— C 


CDnunlttiFd to 

IndDstrlal 

School 




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I 


Total 


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1 a 1 3 1 4 5 1 6 JTot. 


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Tot. 


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Total 


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1 1 1 1 ! 1 


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1 

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Absence Lawful : 

1. Illness of child. 

2. Illness or death in family. 

3. Quarantined. 

4. Poverty. 

5. Court. 

6. Inclement weather. 
Dropped PDpU: 

1. Under compulsory school age. 
a. Incapacity (physical). 
3. Incapacity (mental). 



INTERPRETATION OF CODE NUMBERS IN COLUMNS * 

Indifference to school work. 

Iieft to go to a private school. 

Left to go to a parochial school. 

Removed from the city. 

Illneas or death in family. 

Economic status of family (obtained employment certificate). 

Economic status of family (not obtaining employment certificate). 

Committed to the Industrial School. 

Kept at home for private tuition. 

Unknown. 



.\bsence Unlawful; 

1. Truant child. 
a. Parental neglect. 
S. Illegally employed,. 



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MONTHLY REPORT OF ATTENDANCE OFFICER 
PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS BUTTE. MONTANA 



FOR MONTH O F_ 





CASES FOR INVESTIGATION 




REPORT OF ATTENDANCE 


OFFICER 


ATTENDANCE OFFICKH 


8CHOOI, 


nS 1 BBCBIVBD t« 1 


A — ^BSEMCB 
LAWFUL 


B — DSOPPED PCPIL 


C — ABSENCE 
UNLAWFUI, 


Total Mo. 

Cases 

Inveetlgnted 

A— B — C 


Committed to 
iDdnstrlal 




1 


Old Total 


(^ E4 o 


1 
1 1 3 


1 1 
3 1 4 1 5 

1 


Tot. 


1 a 

1 


3 4 1 5 1 8 1 7 1 8 1 8 1 10 H 1 la 1 13 Tot. 

Ill 1 II 


1 


2 


3 


Tot. 


Soliool 


















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1 


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1 1 
















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1 1 


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1 1 

1 1 














































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1 






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1 1 
1 1 


















































1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 

1 1 ! 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 










































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1 






























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1 1 






































1 






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1 


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1 
















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1 1 
1 1 














































1 1 1 

1 1 

1 1 1 


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1 1 

1 1 
1 1 






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1 1 
1 1 














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1 
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1 1 


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1 1 
1 1 






























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1 1 1 1 1 1 
1 1 1 1 1 1 
1 1 1 1 1 1 


1 

! 1 I 


1 


1 


1 1 


L 


1 












Absence Lawfiil : 

1. Illness of child. 

2. Illness or death to family. 

3. Quarantined. 

4. Poverty. 

5. Court. 

6. Inclement weather. 
Dropped Ptipil: 

1. Under compulsory school age. 

2. Incapacity (physical). 
2. Incapacity (mental). 



INTERPRETATION OF CODE NUMBERS IN COLUMNS* 

Indifference to school work. 

Left to go to a private school. 

Left to go to a parochial school. 

Removed from the city. 

Illness or death In family. 

Bconomlc status of family (obtained employment certificate). 

Economic status of family (not obtaining employment certificate). 

Committed to the Industrial School. • 

Kept at home for private tuition. 

Unknown. 



C. Absence Unlawful: 
1. Truant child. 
3. Parental neglect 
S. Illegally employed.. 



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n> 3 5 

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i»i<i>^ I'iO ??:>? 



CENSUS RECORDS AND REPORTS 141 

not all the children of school age of Butte are in school, there is 
need of a complete census. To make this school census effective, 
it is necessary to have records of all children who are actually in 
school, and of current changes in school enrollment. At present, 
there are no reports made to the board of education with regard 
to the children enrolled in either private or parochial schools. It 
is incumbent by law. Section 1104, of the General School Law 
of the State of Montana, that the principals of these schools 
make such reports. That is, the principals of these schools shguld 
be requested to comply with this law, and to provide the clerk 
of the board of education with the same data on enrollment and 
changes herein, as is requested from the principals of public 
schools, using, in all cases, the same blank forms in making said 
reports. 

If the children of Butte are to receive the education which 
they should receive, it is necessary to have an effective enforce- 
ment of the compulsory education law. So far as the public 
schools are concerned, this law seemingly is well enforced. No 
facts are available with regard to its enforcement in private and 
parochial schools. If the compulsory education law is to be 
enforced most effectively, the same records and reports on ab- 
sence, truancy, etc., should be required of the principals of private 
and parochial schools as the commission recommends should be 
lequircd of the principals of public schools. 

Since it is possible, under the law, to require such informa- 
tion of private and parochial schools, we feel that the informa- 
tion will be readily given, and that not only will this information 
be readily given, but when it is understood that the purpose of 
this information is to secure to every child of Butte the education 
to which he is entitled, all concerned will willingly co-operate to 
this end. 

Simplifying School Records. — ^There is need, as we have 
seen in Chapter I, of collecting additional information on the 
actual workings of the schools, if there is to be at hand an ade- 
quate fact basis for measuring the efficiency of the schools, and 
on which to base administrative action. On the other hand, cer- 
tain of the present reports should be simplified, such, for exam- 
ple, as the teacher's monthly report and the principal's monthly 
report. The need of simplification is particularly evident in the 
case of determining the promotion average of pupils ; also, in the 
record scholarship card, which is sent to parents monthly. Much 
of the detailed work involved in determining the promotion aver- 
age of children and in making out the record scholarship card 
could be avoided, if the monthly record of the child for each 
of the several subjects should be regarded as cumulative. That 
is, if the scholarship mark given for the last month of the school 
term should be recognized as the teacher's estimate of the effort 
and achievement of the child for the school term, it could be 
substituted for the present promotion average, which is now de- 
termined at such a cost of energy and time on the part of teachers. 



142 gJIIOOL SURVEY REPORT. 

Summary. — To summarize, there is need, in the opinion of 
the survey commission, of making the present school census more 
complete; this school census should then be made the basis of 
checking the number of children who are illegally absent from 
school, whether public, private, or parochial, and of enforcing 
the compulsory education law. To this end, we believe, that a 
school census as outlined above should be taken and that the 
above-suggested forms for reporting absence to attendance offi- 
cers, the monthly report of principals on absence cases, and the 
montblv report of attendance officers, be introduced. Should 
these recomm.endations be put into effect, taking into considera- 
tion the present excellent service of teachers, principals and at- 
tendance officers and the present excellent attitude of the com- 
munity toward school attendance, there is no reason why children 
in Butte should be absent from school any considerable length 
of time without lawful reason. Moreover, if the above sugges- 
tions with regard to simplifying present reports are put into 
operation, teachers will be relieved of considerable unnecessary 
detail, whereas if the recommendations in Chapter I with regard 
to data on school activities are adopted, there will be at hand 
not only information which will supply the basis for improving 
methods of instruction and of adapting the course of study to the 
needs of the children, but also of judging of the efficiency of in- 
struction and of the work of the svstem as a whole. 



FINANCE AND ACCOUNTS 143 

CHAPTER XI 

FINANCE AND ACCOUNTS. 

I. — Costs of the School System. 

The members of the survey commission have spent much 
time in trying to calculate and compare the costs for education in 
the Butte school district with costs for education in other cities 
where costs are comparable, but they have finally been compelled 
to abandon the attempt to make an accurate comparison, and for 
the reason that accurate comparisons are not possible with the 
present system of accounting. 

Difficulties Encountered. — In the first place the Butte school 
district (District No. i) is many times larger than the city proper, 
and the property valuation of the school district is about twice 
that of the city itself. The total population within the city is 
given by the United States census for 1910, and also has been 
officially estimated for 191 1, but how many people live in the 
Butte school district the survey commission were not able to 
ascertain. In the absence of such information the per capita cost 
for schools, based on the total population of the school district, 
could not be determined. On the basis of the expenditures for 
1912-1913, which were $380,593.00, and an estimated total popu- 
lation in the school district of 75,000, the per capita cost, based on 
total population, would be approximately $5.07. 

In the absence of any population data, the commission have 
been compelled to use the figures given in the last printed volume 
of Financial Statistics of Cities, issued by the United Census 
Bureau of the Census*. This volume contains detailed statistical 
data as to the expenses of all cities in the United States. The 
census figures show a total expense for 191 1 of $250,000 for 
education in Butte, and a per capita on total population cost of 
$5.42. The members of the survey commission have conferred 
with the clerk of the board of school trustees, the county assess»Dr, 
and the county treasurer, but have not been able to arrive at any 
Ijetter estimate, though they feel that the United Census figure? 
for Butte are too high, for the year taken. 

Per Capita Costs. — Using, however, for purposes of compari- 
son, the United States Census figures, even though they are 
manifestly too high, and comparing the cost for education here 
with the cost in the same twenty cities used in Table 2, Chapter 
I, in comparing the percentages of children under 15 years of 
age in such cities with conditions in Butte, we get the following 
table, showing comparative costs in ten western and ten eastern 
cities. 



*Financial Statistics of Cities. 1911 (Washington, 1913). 



144 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



TABLE 24. 

Showing Comparative Costs for Education, Based on Total 

Population. 





Per 








capita 
cost for 


Percent of city 


Total 


Cities. 


expenses for 


population 




schools 


schools 


of city 


I. Western Cities — 


1 






Pueblo, Colo 


4-31 
5.20 

5-24 
541 


36.5 per cent 
33.9 per cent 
54.2 per cent 
32.9 per cent 


44,395 
83,743 
43,973 
39,578 


Tacoma, Wash 


Lincoln, Neb. 


San Diego, Cal 


Butte, Mont. 


5.42 


31.8 per cent 


39,165 


Davenport, Iowa 


543 


39.6 per cent 


43,028 


Topeka, Kansas 


547 
5.80 
6.62 


47.0 per cent 
38.0 per cent 
47.2 per cent 


43,684 
104,402 

99,777 


Spokane, Wash... . 


Salt Lake City, Utah... 


Des Moines, Iowa 


7.16 


49.8 per cent 


86,368 


Berkeley, Cal 


7-51 


54.0 per cent 


40,434 


2. Eastern Cities — 








Fall River, Mass 


4.06 


34.4 per cent 


119,295 


Scranton, Pa 


445 


47.2 per cent 


129,867 


Hoboken, N. J 


5-27 


39.0 per cent 


70,324 


Butte, Mont 


5.42 


31.8 per cent 


39.165 


Bayonne, N. J 


5.60 


48.1 per cent 


55,545 


East Orange, N. J 


6.15 


34.8 per cent 


34,371 


Yonkers, N. Y 


6-35 


32.9 per cent 


79,803 


Springfield, Mass 


6.86 


34.9 per cent 


88,926 


New Rochelle, N. Y 


7.04 


37.5 per cent 


28,867 


Mt. Vernon 


7-25 


354 per cent 1 


30,919 


Newton, Mass 


8.67 


35.8 per cent 


30,806 



When the much higher costs for labor and materials in Butte, 
the' :materially lower pay for teachers in eastern cities, and the 
rtiuch larger number of children to be educated in the ten eastern 
cities, as pointed out in Chapter I, are all taken into considera- 
tion, even the high United States Census figure for Butte seems 
low. It must be said, however, that of the cities selected for com- 
parison with Butte, 75 per cent are noted for the high quality 
and large efficiency of their schools. It would, of course, have 
been possible to have selected cities for comparison with Butte 
which would have made a more favorable showino". 



II. — The System of Accounting. 

Other Difficulties Encountered. — When the surve}^ commis- 
sion turned from comparative costs to the cost of education in the 
schools within the district, much the same difficidty in obtaining 
anv information that reallv told anvthins- was encountered. 



FINANCE AND ACCOUNTS 145 



Though the financial records in the office of the school clerk are 
kept according to the forms outlined for school districts in the 
State of Montana, the records are not kept in the form which 
should be provided for a city of this size. The forms in use are 
suited to a country district or a villag-e, rather than to a city 
such as Butte. 

From the records as kept, though they are kept very neatly, 
and apparently very accurately, little or nothing could be told, 
vrithout much labor in recalculating the items throughout, as to 
what instruction, operation of plant, and plant-maintenance were 
actually costing per pupil or per room in the schools of Butte. 
Some tabulations made indicated differences as large as $5.00 per 
year per pupil for instruction alone, in two of the schools. This 
may be all right or it may not, but the present methods of account- 
ing do not tell anything as to existing conditions. 

These differences are only what might be expected here. As 
it pointed out in the chapter on the school plant (Chapter IX), 
small buildings are much more expensive to operate than large 
ones, and the instruction in them is less efficient. If good cost- 
figures were available there is little doubt but that the board of 
school trustees would at once abandon the policy of erecting them. 

If figures were available it would doubtless be found that the 
per capita cost for education in such schools as the Brookside is 
twice as great as in such a school as the Emerson, with a much 
less efficient type of education provided, and that the cost in 
such schools as the Madison or Harrison is twenty to thirty per 
cent higher than in the larger city schools. The books at present 
show almost nothing as to the actual costs for instruction in the 
schools, or in different schools, and the survey commission have 
been compelled to depend, in part, in making their recommenda- 
tions for the reorganization of the building equipment of the dis- 
trict, on their knowledge of the financial experiences of other 
cities having somewhat similar conditions. No one in particular 
is to blame for the present condition, as the books are kept ac- 
cording to state forms, and according to the plan which has been 
followed for many years. 

Recommendations. — The survey commission strongly recom- 
mend that the school clerk be instructed to prepare a new form 
of cost-record book, using the 'standards for accounting approved 
by the United States Bureau of Education and the United States 
Bureau of the Census, and that he then reorganize his methods 
of cost-accounting so that each item of expenditure will be dis- 
tributed, in its proper place and proper proportion, among the 
different schools and administrative offices of the district. We 
herewith append a form (Form 8) showing the kind of bookkeep- 
ing which the commission recommends. 

With such a system of bookkeeping it would, at any time, 
be possible to determine the per-pupil cost for instruction, the 
per-room cost for any form of service or supply, or the per-buiid- 



146 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

ing" cost for any item of maintenance or upkeep and to check 
wastes wherever they may be found. The survey commission 
have been led to feel that there are many small wastes in the 
school system which could be remedied, to the advantage of the 
schools, if only a good accounting system were in use from which 
the school clerk or the superintendent of schools, or the two acting 
in co-operation, could from time to time check up the different 
cost items for the different schools. If such figures were avail- 
able, to mention one item to illustrate the value of such account- 
ing, the survey commission have no doubt but that the present 
practice of building small schools, near together, would be at once 
discontinued, because of the greater cost for instruction and main- 
tenance which would be shown by such a system of accounting. 

The survey commission wish to add that they have gone over 
the matter in some detail with the school clerk, and have pointed 
out to him the value of such a system of bookkeeping and stan- 
dard-form accounting, and that he is both willing and anxious to 
reorganize the books according to the standard forms and indi- 
vidual school-record plans suggested to him, and as shown by 
Form 8. 



CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 147 

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND 
RECOMMENDATIONS. 

[The following Summary, Conclusions and Recommenda- 
tions was given to the press at the time the report was completed 
and submitted, and is now reproduced here as a summary and 
digest of the preceding chapters.] 

It is not possible to summarize adequately the results of the 
survey in a few pages. The conclusions which have been reached 
and the recommendations which are made depend, in every in- 
stance, upon observations which are recorded or upon data which 
was collected, and which appears in the tables to be found in the 
report. In order for anyone to understand the conclusions which 
are reached and the recommendations which are made, it will be 
necessary to read the entire report. To this end, the survey com- 
mission recommends that at least five thousand copies of this re- 
port be printed, as soon as is possible, in order that all interested 
citizens may have a chance to study carefully the findings of the 
survey commission. It may not be out of place to suggest that 
all who read the conclusions which follow withhold judgment as 
to the validity of the findings of the commission, and of the 
recommendations which are made, until it is possible to examine 
carefully the data which furnish the basis for these conclusions 
and recommendations. 

The Classification and Progress of Pupils. — The facts with 
respect to the classification and progress of children in the scliool 
system were collected from all schools of the district. These data 
show clearly that there are a very large number of children in the 
Butte schools who are too old for the grade in which they are 
found. A careful examination of the tables which appear in this 
report will show that one out of every two children in the school 
system is over-age for his grade. Many of these over-age children 
are one to two years over-age, but almost two hundred are three 
or more years over-age for their grade. In the body of the report 
wnll be fotmd a discussion of the causes of this retardation. It is 
more important, in this connection, to note that the commission 
recommends that special classes be established for those who are 
backward or mentally deficient. These special classes will prove 
helpful not only in making it possible to give proper training to 
those who are backward or deficient, but also in removing from 
regular classes children who interfere with the proper teaching 
of those who are normal. The commission also recommends the 
establishment of a summer elementary school, in order that many 
children who would otherwise fail of promotion may make normal 
progress in the school system. 

A careful study of promotion and non -promotion in the school 
svstem, the data being recorded in tables in the body of the report, 
shows an extraordinarily large number of non-promotions. These 
non-promotions seem to the m.embers of the survey commission 



148 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

to be due to the fact that promotion is based almost wholly upon 
the ability of children to recall great numbers of facts, rather 
than upon their capacit}^ to undertake the work of the next grade. 
A reorganization of the courses of study and a change in the type 
of examination given is most urgently recommended, in order 
that the amount of non-promotions may be decreased. 

From the data collected concerning the size of elementary 
school classes, the commission has discovered that conditions are 
most favorable in Butte. Indeed, they seem almost ideal as com- 
pared with other cities in the United States. The relatively small 
class which is common in the school system suggests the possi- 
bility of adequate instruction for all children, and of regular ad- 
vancement for all who are systematic in attendance, provided the 
recommendations made above concerning special classes and for 
changes in the courses of study and examination systems are car- 
ried out. It was also discovered that the size of recitation sections 
in the high school was small, and that it would be possible to in- 
crease, by as much as 50 per cent, the attendance upon the high 
school, in many of the subjects taught, without increasing the 
present teaching corps, provided an adequate plant were available. 

The Quality of Instniction. — In the body of the report will 
be found a discussion of the criteria which seem to the members 
of the commission fundamental in any discussion of class teach- 
ing. In the light of these criteria, the commission has found that 
the teaching in the Butte schools is, in general, good with respect 
to drill work. They are of the opinion, both from the standpoint 
of their observations and from the tests given to children, that 
the work involving thinking has been neglected. This seems to 
be due, in considerable measure, to the fact that the type of exami- 
nation required has led to a cramming of facts rather than to an 
insistence on the solving of problems by pupils. There is need 
for better understanding upon the part of the teachers of the im- 
portance of lessons whose end-point is to be found in appreciation 
of literature, art. and music. The technic involved in this kind of 
teaching seems not to be well understood by the teachers of the 
school system. 

The commission was most favorably impressed by the rela- 
tionship of good will and accord which seems to exist between 
teachers and pupils throughout the school system. In the opinion 
of the commission, the teachers employed in the Butte schools are, 
with few exceptions, women of good ability, who are anxious to 
do their best work for the children. They believe, however, that 
these teachers are not now realizing anything like their full possi- 
bilities, and that much greater efficiency in teaching may be ex- 
pected to result from careful supervision, and from more ade- 
quate professional training. 

Courses of Study. — As has already been suggested, the 
courses of study need to be carefully revised. There is at present 
entirely too much emphasis upon formal drill work and the re- 



CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 149 

membering of facts which are recorded in books. It is the primary 
purpose of education to develop power of independent thought 
upon the part of children, rather to cram them with facts. When- 
ever a course of study or an examination system emphasizes the 
importance of remembering, rather than the possible growth in 
power of thinking and of appreciation, teachers invariably limit 
their work to the preparation of children for these factual tests. 
It is the opinion of the commission that the courses of study need 
to be improved by introducing kindergartens, by providing more 
adequate work in nature study and elementary science, by increas- 
ing the time devoted to the manual and household arts, and by 
laying greater stress upon literature, music, and drawing. 

It is also suggested in the body of the report that there would 
be great advantage in organizing an intermediate school for chil- 
dren who have completed the sixth grade. This school would 
permit of some degree of specialization during the three-years' 
course, and would in all probability not only afford better educa- 
tional opportunities for those who remain in school, but would 
also increase the number of those who stay for nine years of 
school work. 

The Achievements of Pupils. — One of the most important 
parts of the work of the survey was the measurement of the 
achievements of pupils m the school system. Standard tests in 
spelling, arithmetic, penmanship, and composition were given. It 
was possible by using these tests to compare the results achieved 
in Butte with those which are secured in other school systems. 
In spelling, in the fundamental operations of arithmetic, (addi- 
tion, subtraction, multiplication, and division), and in penman- 
ship, the results secured in Butte were as good or better than 
those found in other school systems. This is exactly what would 
have been expected by one who knew of the emphasis placed upon 
drill work in the school system. The results in the reasoning 
tests in arithmetic and in English composition indicated a very 
decided weakness in these fields of work. The commission ven- 
tures to suggest that it is only when emphasis is placed upon 
thinking and upon the development of the individuality and self- 
expression of children, rather than upon formal drills and fact- 
getting, that satisfactory results can be expected in reasoning or 
in expression of thought. 

The Supervision of Instruction. — The board of school trus- 
tees are to be strongly commended for their action in securing 
the services of a woman of broad training and experience for the 
position of primary supervisor. In the judgment of the members 
of the commission much of the success of any school system de-r 
pends upon the quality of the supervision exercised by the super- 
intendent, and the general and special supervisors. Even the 
best of teachers, possessed of the most adequate professional 
training, need the help and inspiration which comes from the 
especially capable people who should be placed in supervisory 



150 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

positions, for the sake of demonstrating superior methods of work, 
of criticizing the class-room procedure, of measuring the success 
of a teacher's work by the accompHshment of the children taught, 
and of securing the co-operation of all teachers in the develop- 
ment of the policies which characterize either the whole school 
system, or some particular builcing or other division of it. 

In the work of supervision, the principal's office should be of 
very great importance. Those who now hold these offices m 
Butte are, in the opinion of the survey commission, eager to fulfill 
their obligation to teachers and to pupils. They need, however, 
better and broader conceptions of their work, and to this end it 
lias been recommended that they be required to secure, in summer 
sessions, more adequate professional training. 

The Adaptation of Schools to Community Needs. — The 
schools of Butte have, in the past, concerned themselves chiefly 
with the instruction of children of elementary- and high-school 
age, and during those hours which are commonly recognized as 
constituting the school day. The schools have offered, for the 
most part, a single program of work. The commission recom- 
mends : 

( 1 ) The organization of kindergartens. 

(2) The establishment of special classes for those who are 
Taackward or deficient, and for non-English-speaking children. 

(3) The wider use of the school plant, including elementary- 
and high-school work in classes to be opened, either before regu- 
lar school hours in the morning, during the late afternoon, or at 
tiight. 

(4) That much greater opportunity for play and recreation 
Tje provided, both within the buildings, wherever that is possible, 
and by the purchase and equipment of playgrounds. 

(5) That the physical welfare of school children be pro- 
vided for through the establishment of adequate health super- 
vision, involving medical inspection and visiting nurses. 

The Administration of Schools. — A careful study of the law 
imder which the school district has been organized makes it clear 
that the board of school trustees is vested with large authority in 
the control of public education. The commission recommends 
that there be a clear differentiation between the legislative func- 
tions exercised by the board of school tnistees, and the executive 
powers vested by them in the superintendent of schools, and the 
school clerk. There can never be any adequate administration of 
schools without the placing of large responsibility upon executive 
officers, chosen by the board of school trustees, and this responsi- 
bility can never be adequately met except when the board vests in 
the superintendent of schools authority commensurate with his 
responsibility. 

Selection, Training, Tenure, and Salaries of Teachers. — Most 
of the teachers who are now at work in the elementary schools of 
Butte have had inadequate professional training. Only 22 ele- 



CONCLUSIONS AND RECOArMEXDATIONS 151 

mentary-school teachers out of i8i reported have had a minimum 
of two years of normal-school or other professional training be- 
yond their high-school course. Only 6 of the i6 principals of the 
elementary schools have had this minimum of professional train- 
ing. The commission most strongly recommends ihat hereafter 
no teacher be employed in the school system who has not had a 
four years' high-school course and two years of professional train- 
ing. The commission recommends that, in order that these teach- 
ers may realize their greatest efficiency, a summer school be 
opened in Butte for the professional training of teachers ; that all 
teachers be required to attend this school, or some other recognized 
normal or university summer school ; and that they be paid an 
additional month's salary for such attendance. A similar recom- 
mendation is made with respect to elementary-school principals. 
After a careful study of the salaries paid in other western cities, 
the commission has recommended that the maximum salary to be 
paid to elementary-school teachers and to principals be increased, 
but that this maximum salary be made dependent, in every case, 
upon the securing of additional professional training. 

School Buildings and Equipment. — The reports which have 
recently been made by the school architect, in co-operation with 
the county health officer and by the city health officer, were care- 
fully examined by the survey commission. They were found to 
be in substantial agreement. The members of the commission 
then made a careful study of the buildings on their own account. 
Their findings and recommendations may be briefly summarized 
as follows : 

(i) In the past the school sites which have been bought 
have been too small, and the buildings not infrequently undesir- 
ably located. 

(2) The type of building constructed is not satisfactory. In 
almost every case the lighting is from at least two sides, with wide 
pillars between the windows. In modern school-house construc- 
tion lighting is always arranged from one side only, with very 
narrow pillars between the windows. 

(3) There has been a tendency to construct too many small 
buildings, which are uneconomical and unsatisfactory from the 
standpoint of providing proper educational facilities. It is doubt- 
ful whether it is ever economical to construct a building with less 
than from 16 to 18 rooms. This is especially necessary if proper 
provision is to be made for the manual and household arts, and 
for special classes for children who need special attention. These 
larger buildings should contain an auditorium, in order that they 
may be used outside of regular school hours, as a community 
center. 

(4) The buildings now in use can be best adapted to the 
needs of the community by segregating, in the present high-school 
plant, the children of the seventh and eighth grades and the first 
year of the high-school, as an intermediate-school, in order to 



152 SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 

make room for kindergartens, special classes, and for work in in- 
dustrial and household arts, as suggested above. It seems to the 
members of the commission that some of the buildings — notably, 
the Greeley school — are so inadequate and unhygienic that they 
should be demolished, rather than be repaired and added to. It is 
the judgment of the commission that it would be unfortunate to 
add to the present high-school building. A new high-school site 
should be found, and a new building, containing a gymnasium and 
auditorium, as well as the ordinary laboratories and class-rooms, 
should be constructed. 

(5) The janitorial service is faithful, but not always intelli- 
gent. It is recommended that the clerk of the board of school 
trustees, in co-operation with the superintendent of schools, be 
given larger authority with respect to the work of the janitors, 
and that they be given, under his direction, such training as will 
ensure more satisfactory service. 

Census, Records, and Reports. — The present school census 
has been taken as provided by the state law. The commission 
recommends a more satisfactory system of recording the census 
data, and means of keeping the census file up to date, and the 
collecting of such additional information as will make the census 
more significant, from the standpoint of its possible educational 
use. The forms for amending the census are given in the body 
of the report. Recommendations are also made with respect to 
the methods of reporting of principals to attendance officers and 
to the superintendent, and concerning the report of the attendance 
officers to the superintendent. Some suggestions are given con- 
cerning the possibility of simplifying the present system of school 
records. 

Costs and Financial Records. — The commission found it diffi- 
cult, from the data which are available, either in the school offices 
or in the report of the United States Census, to make any ade- 
quate calculation as to the cost of education in Butte, compared 
with other cities. Such approximate comparisons as it seemed 
advisable to make are found in a table of comparative cost, which 
is given in the body of the report. In consultation with the school 
clerk, and with his hearty co-operation and approval, a better 
system of school accounting has been recommended, and a form 
for such is included in the report. With this more adequate sys- 
tem of accounts it will be possible for the board of school trus- 
tees to know concerning the cost of any particular school, or type 
of educational activity. With this information at hand, it will 
be possible for the board to adopt such policies as promise a maxi- 
mum of economy and efficiency. 

In conclusion, the survey commission wishes to emphasize, 
for all who may read these conclusions, the necessity of studying 
carefully the whole report. In the several chapters presented will 
be found the records of observations made and the tabulation of 



CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 153 



(lata which was collected. It is only when the reader has avail- 
able these records of observation and these collected data that he 
can hope to judge fairly concerning the conclusions of the' report, 
or to be reasonable and open-minded in his acceptance or rejec- 
tion of the recommendations which we have made. 



APPENDIX 



BLANK FORMS USED IN GATHERING 

DATA 



I. FORMS USED IN COLLECTING DATA 



157 



EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE OF THE TEACHERS 
IN THE BUTTE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

1. Name 

2. Permanent home address 

3. Position in School. 

4. Please indicate in the appropriate spaces the amount of school- 
ing you had before enterin^^ the service at Butte — 





Where? 
City & State 


No. of 
Full 
Years 


Parts of 
Years 

(No. Mths) 


Summer 

Sessions 

(No. Wks.) 


Year 
of 
Gradu- 
ation 


High 
School 










Normal 
School or 
Training 
School 






1 1 
1 i 


College 

or 
Univer- 
sity 




^ 



5. Please indicate in the appropriate spaces below the amount of 
schooling you have had since entering the service at Biitte — 





Where ? 
City & State 


No. of 

Full 

Years 


Parts of 
Years 

(No. Mths) 


Summer 

Sessions 

(No. Wks.) 


Year 
of 
Gradu- 
ation 


Normal 
School or 
Training 
School 












College ! 

or 
Univer- j 

sitv 1 


] 



6. Experience : 

a. Date of entering service in Butte (Month) (Year) 

b. Number of years of service in schools of Butte : 

(i) As teacher _ _ _ _ years 

(2) As supervisor, or special teacher - years 

(3) As principal _ _ _ _ years 

(4) Total - - - - - years 

c. Number of years of service in schools outside of Butte : 

(i) In Montana _ _ _ _ years 

(2) Elsewhere _ _ _ - years 

(3) Total _ - - - years 

d. Total number of years of experience in teaching, super- 

vision, etc. - - - - - years 



158 



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SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



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I. FORMS USED IN COLLECTING DATA 159 



Sheet lib. 

Directions and Definitions for Report on Enrollment, 

Failure, Etc. 

1. Where a teacher has two grades, for example, a i B and 
a I A, she will put the record of each grade on a separate line. 

2. Total enrollment for the semester (Item 2) includes (a) 
the original enrollment plus (b) all pupils received during the 
semester on transfer from other rooms of the same building and 
from other public schools of Butte minus (c) all pupils lost 
during the semester by transfer to other rooms of the same build- 
ing and to other public schools of Butte. 

3. Under Item 3 (Number Dropped) are to be included all 
pupils who have been dropped and who have not returned ; that is, 
who have not been re-admitted to school. 

6. Where there were no failures in a particular study indi- 
cate this fact by "o." 

7. Checks which will show whether or not this blank is cor- 
rectly filled out : 

(a) Item 2 (Total Enrollment) ^Item 3 (Number Dropped) 
plus Item 4 (Number in Class at End of Semester. 

(b) Item 3 (Number Dropped=Item 2 (Total Enrollment) 
minus Item 4 (Number in Class at End of Semester). 

(c) Item 4 (Number in Class at End of Semester=Item 2 
(Total Enrollment) minus Item 3 (Number Dropped). 

(d) The sum of a and b of item 5 (Number in Class) at 
end of semester = Item 4 (Number in Class at end of 
Semester. 

8. After the blanks are filled out by the several teachers, 
the principal will assemble on a like blank, beginning with the 
highest grade — the 8 A — the report for the school as a whole, and 
will send her report along with those of her several teachers to the 
superintendent's office, by Thursda)i afternoon. May 21. 



160 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



1~-H 


Average Belonging and Number of Classes Having an Aver- 
age Belonging for the First Semester of 


50 & less 50 and 
than 55 over 


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I. FORMS USED TN COLLECTING DATA 16| 

BUTTE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

Directions and Instructions for Blank On Si^e of Class. 

1. The data called for in this blank on Size of Class will be 
taken from the Semester Summary. 

2. Each principal will fill out the blank and return the same 
to the Superintendent's office, Monday afternoon, May 25. 

3. The different grades are designated : First Year, Second 
Year, etc. First Year includes i B and i A ; Second Year, 2 B 
and 2 A pupils, etc. 

4. Where a teacher instructs both a group of i B and i A 
pupils, these i A and i B pupils to gether are to be counted as 
one class and recorded as a class in the First Year, etc. 

5. Where a teacher instructs, for example, a group of 3 B 
and a group of 4 B pupils, or any similar groups of pupils, the 
tzt'o groups are to be counted as one class and the class is to be 
recorded as belonging to the year of the highest group. In the 
illustration, the class would be recorded as belonging to the 
Fourth Year. 

6. The "Total Number of Classes in Each Grade" equals 
the sum of the "Total Number of Classes" in each grade in 
question. 

7. The "Total Average Belonging of All Classes in Each 
Grade" equals the sum of the "Total Average Belonging" of all 
the classes in the grade in question of the several sizes. 



162 



SCHOOL SURVEY REPORT 



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I. FORMS USED IN COLLECTING DATA 163 

Directions and Definitions for Report on Ages of School 

Children. (Sheet IV. b). 
Table I— 

1. Total enrollment includes the original enrollment plus 
all pupils r..ceived on transfer from other rooms of the 
same building and from other public schools of Butte 
minus all pupils lost by transfer. 

2. When a teacher has two grades, for example, a iB and 
a I A, the record of each grade should be put on a sepa- 
rate line. 

Table II— 

1. The ages of the children are to be computed as of Sept. 
I, 1913, and are to be taken from the Admission, Dis- 
charge and Promotion Card. 

2. A child 6 years and 5 months old Sept. i, 1913, should be 
recorded as 6 up to 65^ ; similarly, a child 6 years and ii 
months old Sept. i, 1913, should be recorded as 6^ up 
to 7, etc. 

3. Care should be exercised to record all children of the 
same grade on the same line. 

4. The number of children given in Table II, as belonging 
to a particular grade and the ages of whom are indicated 
on a particular line, should correspond with the number 
of children given for the same grade under Total En- 
rollment in Table i. 



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191 



OTHER PAYMENTS 



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REMARKS 



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WEBSTER 










































HARRISON 










































GRifJvLEY 










































GARFIEI^D 










































I'RANKLIN 










































HIGH 










































EMERSON 










































ULAINE 










































MANUAL TRAINING 










































DOMESTIC SCIENCE— Sewing 










































DOMESTIC SCIENCE— Cooking 










































LINCOLN 










































SHERMAN 










































MONROE 










































McKINLEY 










































JEFFERSON 










































(IRANT 










































INDUSTRIAL 










































BRICKSIDE 










































THREE MILE 










































FIVE MILE 










































BASIN 










































LITTLE BASIN 














































































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SCHOOL DISTRK 


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No. 


ONE, 


City 


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191_ 


PLANT 


MAINTENANCE OF PLANT 


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1 


























































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A 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



019 885 272 7 




